^"'^TH  INTERNATIONAL  CONGRESS  OF 
^ ;i;l/-\MBlr'R.S  OF  COMMERCE  AND 

C;OMMEl2IAL  AND  INDUS- 

'mi/iL  ■  aIsoc  eahc-ns 


nOSTON,  US. A.,  1912 


GIFT  OF 


JiosIOX    CHAMUKH    OF    ( OMM  lilU'E 


FIFTH   INTERNATIONAL  CONGRESS 

OF  CHAMBERS   OF  COMMERCE 

AND   COMMERCIAL  AND 

INDUSTRIAL  ASSOCIATIONS 


SEPTEMBER  AND   OCTOBER.  1912 


PUBLISHED   BY 

BOSTON  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 

BOSTON.  U.S.A. 


^^ 


THE    r.SIVEIiSITT    PHESS 
BOSTON   (CAMDniDOE),    T.  8.  A. 


^Preface 

The  growth  and  increase  of  international  organizations  is  one  of  the  most 
important  developments  of  recent  years.  Among  these  evidences  of  an  in- 
creasing internationalism,  no  association  is  entitled  to  a  place  of  higher  stand- 
ing or  gives  promise  of  greater  constructive  results  than  the  International 
Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce. 

The  official  sessions  of  the  Congress,  held  every  two  years,  bring  together 
business  men  from  practically  every  commercial  nation  on  the  globe,  and  ac- 
complish very  definite  results  for  the  unification  of  international  commercial 
practices.  The  personal  acquaintanceships  made  at  the  meetings  among  prom- 
inent men  of  different  nations  also  furnish  the  occasion  for  the  beginnings  of 
many  transactions  in  international  commerce,  resulting  to  the  mutual  advan- 
tage of  l)oth  parties. 

And  finally,  beyond  these  practical  results,  the  friendship  and  good  will 
which  follow  acquaintanceship  and  a  better  understanding  of  each  other's  point 
of  view,  make  of  the  Congresses  a  living  force  for  the  promotion  of  international 
peace.  - 

For  these  reasons  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  took  pleasure  in  un- 
dertaking the  organization  of  the  Fifth  Congress  which  met  in  Boston  in  Sep- 
tember, 1912,  the  first  time  that  this  great  international  organization  ever  held 
its  sessions  in  the  Western  hemisphere.  It  takes  this  occasion  to  express  grati- 
tude for  the  co-operation  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  the  commercial 
organizations  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  the  citizens  of  Boston  generally. 
It  is  naturally  a  source  of  great  pleasure  that  the  Boston  Congress  should  have 
been  the  first  at  which  there  were  in  attendance  a  considerable  number  of  dis- 
tinguished business  men  not  only  from  North  America,  in  which  the  Congress 
was  held,  but  also  from  South  America  and  the  Far  East. 

The  usual  official  report  of  the  Fifth  Congress,  principally  in  the  French 
language,  will  be  issued  by  the  Permanent  Committee  from  Brussels.  In  the 
Appendix  to  this  book  will  be  found  the  stenographic  report  of  the  official  ses- 
sions, and  the  text,  of  the  addresses  at  the  final  banquet  —  principally  in  the 
English  language,  although  in  cases  where  the  speaker  used  another  language, 
the  original  language  as  well  as  the  English  translation  is  given. 

As  it  is  generally  agreed  that  the  larger  benefits  of  these  Congresses  are 
brought  about  outside  the  official  sessions,  we  have  endeavored  to  make  avail- 


291953 


iv  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS 

able  in  this  report  material  not  readily  accessible,  which,  it  is  hoped,  will  in- 
terest and  help  beyond  the  reading  of  the  printed  speeches. 

To  this  end,  the  first  part  of  this  book  is  devoted  to  telling  briefly  the  his- 
torj^  of  the  previous  Congresses,  the  story  of  the  Boston  Congress,  and  con- 
cluding with  material  which  will  be  valuable  to  the  foreign  delegates  in  helping 
them  to  refresh  their  recollections  of  some  of  the  things  which  they  saw  on  their 
trip  to  America. 

And  this  part  of  the  book  has  been  interspersed  with  illustrations  in  the 
hope  of  making  it  still  more  interesting.  Of  course,  the  narrow  limits  of  this 
volume  make  impossible  the  inclusion  of  the  photographs  of  all  who  had  a  prom- 
inent place  in  the  promotion  of  this  international  movement,  or  even  of  the 
Boston  Congress.  The  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  has  included  photographs 
of  those  Government  Delegates  and  members  of  the  Permanent  Committee  and 
American  Committees  of  the  Boston  Congress  which  were  readily  available. 
It  extends  apologies  to  the  many  who  lent  their  co-operation  whose  photographs 
were  not  in  its  possession  at  the  time  of  printing. 

And  just  as  each  of  the  Congresses  already  held  has  been  more  successful 
than  the  preceding,  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  hopes  that  this  publi- 
cation may  to  some  extent  help  to  increase  interest  in  and  attendance  at  the 
Sixth  Congress,  which  is  to  meet  in  Paris  in  June,  1914. 

Boston,  U.S.A.,  1913. 


Contents 


PAGE 

Preface iii 

Contents v 

List  of  Illustrations vii 

Greeting Facing  1 

Purpose  and  Scope  of  the  International  Congress 1 

Officers  of  Fifth  International  Congress 3 

International  Congresses  of  Chambers  of  Commerce 5 

Brief  Histor>' 5 

Membership 8 

Permanent  Committee 9 

Programs  of  the  Congresses 10 

Acts  and  Resolutions  of  the  Boston  Congress 13 

Official  Sessions  at  Boston     17 

The  Events  at  Boston 25 

Tour  of  the  United  States 31 

Boston 41 

Facts  about  the  Cities  Visited  on  the  American  Tour 51 

Sippcnbix 

Delegates  to  the  Fifth  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce    .    .  63 

Permanent  Committee     91 

Officers  and  American  Committees 99 

List  of  Commercial  Organizations  Affiliated  with  Permanent  Committee  .    .  117 

Stenographic  Report  of  Official  Sessions      131 

Addresses  at  Official  Opening  of  the  Congress 131 

The  Establishment  of  a  Fixed  Date  for  Easter,  and  the  Reform  of  the  Calendar  .    .  144 

The  Regulation  of  International  Expositions 152 

Establishment  of  an  International  Court  of  Arbitral  Justice  for  Suits  between  In- 
dividuals and  Foreign  States 153 

The  Unification  of  Legislation  Relating  to  Checks 190 

Commercial  Statistics,  and  the  Immediate  Institution  of  an  International  Office     .  231 

Validation  of  Through-order-notify  Bills  of  Lading 239 

International  Pastal  Reforms  in  \''iew  of  the  Next  Conference  of  the  Universal 

Postal  Union  in  1913 244 


VI 


INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS 


The  Desirability  of  International  Uniformity  of  Action  in  the  Matter  of  Consular 

Invoices 260 

The  Desirability  of  an  International  Conference  on  Prices  and  the  Cost  of  Living  .  274 

International  Arbitration 281 


The  Banquet:  Stenogbaphic  Report  of  the  Addresses 
Riles 


291 
303 


TLi&t  of  SUugtrations; 


Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce Fronlispiect 

OPPOSITE  PAGE 

Hon.  William  H.  Taft,  President  of  the  United  States  of  America;  President  of  Amer- 
ican Honorary-  Committee 6 

Hon.  Philander  C.  Knox,  Seeretar>-  of  State  for  the  United  States  of  America  ...  7 
Hon.  Charles  Xagel,  Secretarj-  of  Commerce  and  Labor  for  the  United  States  of 

America 7 

Louis  Canon-Legr.\nd,  President  of  the  Fifth  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of 

Commerce 8 

£mile  Jottrand,  General  Secretary  of  the  Fifth  International  Congress  of  Chambers 

of  Commerce 8 

Hon.  Eugene  X.  Foss,  Governor  of  Massachusetts 9 

Hon.  John  F.  Fitzgerald,  Mayor  of  Boston 9 

Joseph  B.  Russell,  President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 10 

J.\MES  A.  McKiBBEN,  Secretary  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 10 

George  S.  Smith,  Chairman  Boston  E.xecutive  Committee ]() 

Robert  J.  Bottomly,  Secretary  Boston  Executive  Committee 10 

Willi.aai  H.  Bain,  Director  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce;  Member  of  Boston 

Executive  Committee 11 

Elmer  J.  Bli.ss,  Chairman  General  Organizing  Committee 11 

John  H.  Fahey,  Chairman  Committee  on  Tour 11 

Bernard  J.  Rothwell,  Chainnan  Committee  on  Entertainment 11 

J.vMEs  J.  Storrow,  Chairman  Boston  Honorary  Committee 12 

Prof.  F.  W.  Taussig,  Chainnan  Committee  on  Program IJ 

J.oiEs  T.  Wetherald,  Chairman  Committee  on  Publicity 12 

Robert  Winsor,  Chairman  Committee  on  Finance 12 

F.  Faithfull  Begg,  Chairman  of  Council  of  London  Chamber  of  Commerce    ....  13 

W.  J.  Thompson,  London  Chamber  of  Commerce 113 

M.  E.  YoNKER,  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industn,'  of  Amsterdam 1.3 

T.  Edward  Wilder,  Chicago  .\ssociation  of  Commerce      13 

Prof.  Dr.  Max  .Vpt,  Syndic  of  "Die  .\ltesten  der  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin".    ...  11 

Dr.  Alf.  Georg,  Vice-President  of  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Geneva,  Switzerland  .    .  14 

EucfeNE  .Allard,  President  Belgian  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris 14 

Charles  S.  Haight,  New  York,  X.  Y 14 

Wilbur  J.  Carr,  Director  American  Consular  Service l.j 

Prof.  Irving  Fisher,  Yale  University 15 

Dr.  Soetbeer,  General  Secretarj' of  "Der  Deut.scher  Handelstag,"  Berhn      15 

Dr.  Max  von  Tayenthal,  First   Secretarj'  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry, 

Vienna 15 

Hon.  John  Barrett,  Director-General  of  the  Pan-American  Union 18 

H.  E.  F.  A.  Pezet,  Minister  of  Peru,  Washington,  D.  C;  Delegate  of  Commercial  .\.s- 

sociations  of  Lima  and  Callao 18 

vii 


viii  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

OPPOSITE   PAGE 

H.  E.  Dr.  Carlos  Maria  de  Pena,  Minister  of  Uruguay,  Washington,  D.  C;  Delegate 

of  Uruguay 18 

H.  E.  Antonio  Martin  Rivero,  Minister  of  Cuba,  Washington,  D.  C. ;  Delegate  of  Cuba  18 

Manuel  Jacintiio  Ferreira  da  Cunha,  Consul  General  of  Brazil,  New  York,  N.  Y.  .  19 
Count  Candido  de  Mendes  de  Almeida,  Director  Commercial  Museum  of  Rio  de 

Janeiro 19 

Pedro  Rafael  Rincones,  Consul  General  of  Venezuela,  New  York,  N.  Y 19 

Adolfo  Ballivian,  Consul  General  of  Bolivia,  New  York,  N.  Y 19 

Dr.  Leonard  Uochdorf,  Secretarj'  to  the  Austrian  Mini.stry  of  Commerce 22 

Dr.  Edmund  Kunosi,  Assistant  Secretary  Hungarian  Ministry  of  Commerce    ....  22 

Vicen'te  Gonzales,  Ecuador 22 

Ramon  Arias-Feraud,  Panama 22 

Dr.  Abel  Pardo,  Consul  General  of  Argentina,  New  York,  N.  Y 23 

Ricardo  S.4.NCHEZ  Crcz,  Consul  General  of  Chile,  New  York,  N.  Y 23 

Horace  N.  Fisher,  Consul  of  Chile,  Boston,  Mass 23 

Dr.  Jorge  Vargas,  Consul  of  Columbia,  Boston,  Mass 23 

Delegates  at  one  of  the  Official  Sessions 26 

Special  Editions  op  the  "Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  News" 26 

Group  of  Delegates  from  British  Empire  Sailing  from  Boston 27 

Group  op  Delegates  from  Japan 27 

Group  of  Delegates  in  Front  of  the  Copley  Plaza  Hotel 28 

Group  of  Delegates  at  the  Thomas  G.  Plant  Shoe  Factory,  September  27,  1912  29 
Group  of  Delegates  at  Home   of   Ex-Mayor  James   Logan,   Worcester,   Mass., 

September  30,  1912 34 

DiNN-EB  OP   Members   of   Cosmopolitan  Club,  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  October 

11,  1912       34 

Delegates  at  Factory  of  Packard  Motor  Company,  Detroit,  Michigan    ...  35 

Luigi  Solari,  President  Italian  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New  York 38 

Charles  C.  Hoyt,  President  New  England  Shoe  and  Leather  Association 38 

Dr.  W.  p.  Wilson,  Director  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum 38 

John  H.  Patterson,  President  National  Cash  Register  Company 38 

Dinner  by  Foreign  Delegates  in  Honor  of  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  New 

York  City,  October  19,  1912 39 

Bird's-Eye  View  of  Boston 40 

Copley  Plaza  Hotel,  Copley  Square,  Boston,  Headquarters  of  Fifth  International 

Congress 41 

Boston  Public  Library,  Copley  Square 41 

Steamship  Docks  at  East  Boston 42 

Head  House,  Commonwealth  Pier,  South  Boston 42 

Fishing  Fleet  at  T  Wharf,  Boston 43 

State  Bathhouse  at  Revere  in  Metropolitan  Boston 43 

Plant  of  the  Waltham  Watch  Company  in  Metropolitan  Boston 44 

Plant  of  the  Thomas  G.  Plant  Shoe  Company,  Boston 44 

Plant  op  the  United  Shoe  Machinery  Company 45 

Wood  Worsted  Mills  at  Lawrence 45 

Hall  op  the  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra 46 

Boston  Opera  House 46 

Harvard  Medical  School,  Boston 47 

Boston  Museum  of  Fine  Arts      47 

West  Boston  Bridge  to  Cambridge 48 

Street  Railway  Terminal  at  Forest  Hills,  Boston 48 

Public  G.utDENs  in  the  Center  of  Boston      49 

COMMON^-EALTH   A\'ENUE,    BoSTON 49 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  ix 

OPPOSITE   PAGE 

Massachusetts  State  House,  Boston 50 

State  Street,  Boston,  Showing  Old  State  House 50 

South  Terminal  Railroad  Station,  Boston 51 

Union  Station,  Worcester 51 

McKinley  Monument,  Buffalo 52 

Niagara  Falls 52 

View  of  the  Lake  Front,  Chicago 53 

Portion  of  the  Chicago  Stock-yards 53 

View  of  the  River  Front,  Detroit 56 

View  from  the  Ohio  Rn'ER,  Cincinnati 56 

The  Capitol,  Washington,  D.  C 57 

White  House,  Washington,  D.  C 57 

The  Sky  Line  of  Pittsburgh 58 

Independence  H.all,  Philadelphia 58 

The  Skyscrapers  of  Lower  New  York 59 

Three  of  the  Bridges  to  Brooklyn,  New  York 59 

Official  Photograph  of  Delegates  to  Fifth  International  Congress  of  Cham- 
bers OF  Commerce  in  Front  of  Copley  Plaza  Hotel,  Boston,  September  25, 

1912 306 


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problems.lvhtch  \i  the  fir^t  essential  to  a  ^oob  unberstanb- 1 
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(ITfje  Sntcrnational  Congrcgs; 


The  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  and 
Commercial  and  Industrial  Associations  is  an  organization  rep- 
resenting the  business  men  of  the  entire  world. 

The  purpose  of  the  Congress  is  to  facilitate  the  commercial 
intercourse  of  nations  and  to  promote  cordial  relationships  be- 
tween them.  At  its  biennial  sessions  the  Congress  considers 
international  commercial  problems.  It  strives  to  secure  har- 
mony of  action  on  all  international  questions  affecting  commerce 
and  trade  by  enlisting  the  co-operation  of  the  various  nations 
to  obtain  uniform  laws  with  reference  to  commercial  matters. 

The  recommendations  adopted  by  the  vote  of  the  delegates 
are  carried  out  by  a  Permanent  Committee  with  headquarters 
at  Brussels  which  keeps  in  touch  with  the  constituent  organiza- 
tions and  the  Governments  of  all  countries. 

The  delegates  to  the  Congress  are  of  two  classes:  first,  the  offi- 
cial delegates  designated  to  attend  the  Congress  by  the  Govern- 
ments of  the  leading  commercial  nations;  second,  the  delegates 
appointed  by  the  leading  business  organizations  of  the  world 
which  are  affiliated  with  the  Congress. 

The  Governments  of  all  countries  in  which  the  Congresses 
have  been  held,  have  always  vouchsafed  their  official  recogni- 
tion. The  broadly  representative  character  of  the  delegates  in 
attendance  and  the  interest  taken  in  the  work  of  the  Congress 
by  the  business  men  of  highest  standing  of  all  nationalities 
have  given  to  these  Congresses  a  notable  place  in  the  business 
life  of  the  whole  world. 

The  Congresses  have  been  held  as  follows:  Li^ge,  1905;  Milan, 
1906;  Prague,  1908;  London.  1910;  Boston,  1912. 


jfiftf)  international  Congrcs^s; 

Officers! 

President 
Louis  Canon-Legrand 
President  of  the  Permanent  Committee  of  the  International  Congress.     President  of  the  Federa- 
tion of  the  Commercial  and  Industrial  Associations  of  Belgium.     President  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Mans 

Vice-President 

Edward  A.  Filene 

Vice-President  of  the  Permanent  Committee  of  the  International  Congress.     Member  of 

Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

General  Secretary 

£mile  Jottrand 

Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Mons.     Secretary  of  the  Federation  of  the  Commercial 

and  Industrial  Associations  of  Belgium.     Director  of  the  Commercial  Institute  of  the 

Manufacturers  of  Hainaut 

JBoston  Cxecutibc  Committee 

George  S.  Smith,  Chairman 

President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1911 

William  H.  Bain 

Director  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Elmer  J.  Bliss 

Chairman  General  Organizing  Committee 

William  E.  Bctuer 

Second  Vice-President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

J.  Randolph  Coolidge,  Jr. 

First  Vice-President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

John  H.  Fahet 

Chairman  Committee  on  Tour 

Edward  A.  Filene 

Vice-President  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce 

James  A.  McKibben 

Secretary  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Bernard  J.  Rotitwell 

Chairman  Committee  on  Entertainment.     Prcsulmt  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1910 

Joseph  B.  Russell 

President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1912 

James  J.  Storrow 

Chairman  Boston  Honorary  Committee.     President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1909 

F.  W.  Taussig 
Chairman  Committee  on  Program 

James  T.  Wetherald 
Chairman  CommiUee  on  Publicity 

Robert  Winsor 
Chairman  Committee  on  Finance 
Robert  J.  Bottomly,  Secretary 


Sntcrnational  Congjesisifg  of  Cfjamtierg  of  Commerce 

The  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Connnerce  and  Commercial 
and  Industrial  Associations  is  an  organization  representing  the  business  men 
of  the  entire  world.  The  purpose  of  the  Congress  is  to  facilitate  the  commer- 
cial intercourse  of  nations  and  to  promote  cordial  relationships  between  them. 
The  Congress  strives  to  secure  harmony  of  action  on  all  international  ques- 
tions affecting  commerce  and  trade  by  enlisting  the  co-operation  of  various 
nations  to  obtain  uniform  laws  with  reference  to  commercial  matters. 

The  idea  of  bringing  together  these  great  international  conferences  of 
representatives  of  chambers  of  commerce  and  business  organizations  of  all 
countries  originated  in  Belgium,  The  P'ederation  of  Commercial  and  Indus- 
trial Associations  of  Belgium  took  the  initiative  in  1904  by  appointing  an  or- 
ganizing committee  for  the  purpose  of  laying  the  idea  before  the  governments 
and  commercial  organizations  of  all  nations.  The  great  International  Ex- 
position at  Li^ge  in  1905  supplied  a  most  excellent  occasion  for  holding  the 
first  sessions.  The  Federation  of  Commercial  and  Industrial  Associations  of 
Belgium  from  the  start  received  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  government 
officials  of  Belgium  and  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Exposition  at 
Liege.  As  a  result  of  the  work  of  the  organizing  committee  some  two  hundred 
l)usiness  associations  in  many  countries  signified  their  \nllingness  to  partici- 
pate in  such  a  great  international  gathering.  The  chambers  of  commerce  of 
Austria,  France,  Germany,  Great  Britain  and  Italy  took  the  lead  in  offering 
their  support.  A  little  later  commercial  organizations  in  Argentina,  Brazil, 
Bulgaria,  Japan,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  Portugal,  Spain,  Sweden  and  Switz- 
erland extended  assurances  of  their  intention  to  co-operate.  The  governments 
of  Belgium,  China,  Cuba,  France,  Italy,  Japan,  Netherlands,  Persia,  Portugal, 
Russia,  Sweden,  Turkey  and  the  United  States  of  America  appointed  dele- 
gates to  attend  the  first  sessions.  Assurances  of  kindly  interest  were  received 
from  the  governments  of  Argentina,  Austria,  Demnark,  Germany,  Great 
Britain,  Greece,  Hungary,  Mexico  and  Roumania. 

The  First  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  was  held 
under  these  haj)py  auspices  at  Liege,  Belgium,  on  September  7,  8  and  9,  190.5. 
It  enjoyed  the  patronage  of  the  Belgian  Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs 
and  of  the  Belgian  Minister  of  Industry  and  Labor.  At  the  clo.se  of  the  meeting 
the  assembled  delegates  unanunously  agreed  to  appoint  a  Permanent  Com- 

5 


6  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

mittee  in  order  that  the  Congresses  might  be  convened  at  regular  intervals 
and  continuity  given  to  the  work.  As  President  of  the  Federation  of  Commer- 
cial and  Industrial  Associations  of  Belgium,  M.  Louis  Canon-Legrand  served 
as  President  of  the  First  Congress.  He  has  continued  as  the  presiding  officer 
of  the  five  Congresses  which  have  already  been  held.  Emile  Jottrand,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Federation  of  Commercial  and  Industrial  Associations  of  Belgium, 
served  as  the  General  Secretary  of  the  First  Congress  and  has  continued  as 
General  Secretary  of  the  Permanent  Committee  up  to  the  present  time. 

The  Second  Congress  was  held  on  September  24,  25  and  27,  190G,  at  Milan 
imder  the  patronage  of  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Italy.  The  Honorary  Presi- 
dents were  the  Italian  Ministers  of  Foreign  Affairs  and  Agriculture,  Industry 
and  Commerce.  This  Congress  was  held  at  the  time  of  the  International  Ex- 
position at  IMilan.  At  this  Congress  the  Rules  ^  governing  the  organization 
and  procedure  of  these  Congresses  were  adopted.  It  was  determined  to  con- 
vene sessions  of  the  Congress  every  two  years.  Pending  any  further  decision 
in  the  matter,  it  was  voted  in  confirmation  of  the  decision  of  the  Liege  Congress 
that  the  headquarters  of  the  Permanent  Committee  should  be  at  Brussels,  Bel- 
gium. The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Second  Congress  was  appointed  from 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Milan  and  from  the  Union  of  Italian  Chambers 
of  Conmaerce,  an  organization  comprising  some  ninety-six  distinct  associa- 
tions. Grand  Uff.  Angelo  Salmoiraghi,  who  was  at  that  time  President  of 
both  these  organizations,  served  as  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of 
the  Milan  Congress. 

The  Third  Congress  was  held  in  Prague  in  1908.  It  was  opened  in  person 
by  its  Honorary  President,  His  Imperial  Highness  the  Archduke  Charles  Francis 
Joseph.  The  list  of  Honorary  Presidents  contained  the  names  of  some  eight 
Ministers  and  Ex-]\Iinisters  of  State,  as  well  as  the  Imperial  and  Royal  Gov- 
ernor of  Bohemia,  the  Mayor  of  Prague  and  the  President  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  Industry  of  Prague.  To  this  Congress  some  seventeen  govern- 
ments officially  accredited  delegates.  The  Congress  was  held  at  Prague  at  the 
time  of  the  Exposition  organized  in  celebration  of  the  Jubilee  of  His  ^Majesty 
the  Emperor  Francis  Joseph.  The  Executive  Committee  of  this  Congress  was 
appointed  from  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry  of  Prague  and  had 
as  its  President,  Count  Henri  Clam-]\Iartinic. 

The  Fourth  Congress  was  held  at  London  June  21,  22  and  23,  1910,  on  the 
invitation  of  the  London  Chamber  of  Conmierce.  It  was  opened  by  Right 
Honorable  Sidney  Buxton,  M.  P.,  President  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  who  served 
as  Honorary  President  of  the  Congress.  The  Honorary  Vice-Presidents  in- 
cluded the  governmental  and  commercial  leaders  of  the  British  Emjiire,  among 
them  the  Prime  IMinistcr,  Right  Honorable  H.  H.  Asquith,  K.  C,  :M.  P. 
Twenty-nine  governments  officially  nominated  delegates  to  the  London  Con 
gress.  One  hundred  and  eighty-one  commercial  organizations  in  nineteen  comi- 
tries  were  also  represented.  There  were  altogether  in  attendance  some  435 
*  For  text  of  Rules  adopted  at  Milan,  see  Appendix,  page  303. 


I  npi/rijhl,  lifji,  ttfi  J .  /•;.  I'lirdu 


HON.    WIM.IAM     H.    TAFT 
PresidfMit  of  tho  I'nitorl  States  of  Amorica;  President  of  American  Honorary  Committee 


I"  X,    -  a 

1    X.      i    ^ 


~      E    > 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  7 

delegates.  The  Executive  Committee  having  charge  of  the  arrangements  of 
this  Congress  was  appointed  from  the  London  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  had 
as  its  Chairman,  Charles  Charleton,  Esq.,  Vice-President  of  the  London  Chamber 
of  Commerce. 

The  Fifth  Congress  was  held  in  Boston  September  24,  25  and  26,  1912. 
The  invitation  to  hold  the  Fifth  Congress  in  Boston  was  extended  to  the  Lon- 
don Congress  by  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Conunerce  and  ninety-eight  other 
commercial  organizations  representing  all  parts  of  New  England.  During  the 
smnnier  of  1911  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  arranged  for  a  party  of 
one  hundred  American  business  men  to  tour  some  of  the  principal  countries 
of  Europe  for  the  purpose  of  extending  a  formal  invitation  to  the  governments 
and  commercial  organizations  of  the  countries  visited  to  send  representatives 
to  the  Boston  Congress.  From  the  outset  the  project  of  holchng  the  Fifth 
Congress  at  Boston  received  the  hearty  support  of  the  Government  of  the 
United  States,  as  well  as  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  and  the  City 
of  Boston.  On  January  29,  1912,  resolutions  extending  the  goverimiental 
recognition  to  the  Congress  and  providing  that  official  invitations  be  extended 
by  the  Government  of  the  United  States  were  introduced  into  the  Senate  of 
the  United  States  by  Senator  Lodge  of  Massachusetts,  and  into  the  House  of 
Representatives  by  Congressman  Peters  of  Boston.  These  resolutions  were 
passed  by  both  houses  of  Congress  and  signed  by  the  President  of  the  United 
States  in  the  following  form: 

JOINT  RESOLUTION. 
62d  Congress,  2d  Session. 

"Resolved  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United 
States  of  America  in  Congress  Assembled,  That  the  President  of  the 
United  States  be,  and  he  is  hereby,  authorized  and  requested  to  extend 
to  Governments  of  the  coimnercial  nations  of  the  world  an  invitation 
to  be  represented  officially  at  the  Fifth  International  Congress  of 
Chambers  of  Commerce  and  Commercial  and  Industrial  Associations, 
to  be  held  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  September  twenty-fourth  to 
twenty-eight,  nineteen  hundred  and  twelve. 

That  the  Secretary  of  State  is  hereby  requested  to  ask  the  Govern- 
ments of  the  commercial  nations  of  the  world  to  notify  the  leading 
business  organizations  of  their  respective  countries  of  this  action  by  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States  of  America  and  suggest  their  co-opexation." 

Official  invitations  were  also  passed  by  the  Legislature  of  the  Common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts  and  by  the  City  Government  of  Boston.  Honorable 
Williimi  H.  Taft,  President  of  the  United  States,  headed  the  American  Hon- 
orary Connnittee,  under  whose  auspices  the  Congress  was  held,  and  was  the 
principal  speaker  at  the  official  dinner  to  all  the  delegates.  The  Vice-Presidents 
of  the  American  Honorary  Committee  included  the  Secretary  of  State,  the 


8  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  as  well  as  the  Chairman  of  the  Senate 
Committee  on  Foreign  Relations  and  the  Chairman  of  the  House  Committee 
on  Foreign  Affairs.  The  American  Honorary  Committee  included  in  its  mem- 
bership the  diplomatic  representatives  in  the  United  States  of  the  principal 
commercial  nations,  the  governors  of  forty-seven  of  the  states  of  the  Union, 
the  presidents  of  the  principal  commercial  organizations  of  the  entire  country, 
and  about  fifty  of  the  business  and  industrial  leaders  of  the  nation.  The 
Boston  Honorary  Committee  comprised  a  notable  list  of  the  leaders  in  com- 
merce and  industry  of  Metropolitan  Boston.  The  official  sessions  of  the  Con- 
gress were  opened  by  Honorable  Charles  Nagel,  Secretary  of  Commerce  and 
Labor  for  the  United  States  of  America.  Thirty-three  governments  officially 
appointed  delegates  to  the  Boston  Congress.  Three  hundred  and  twenty  com- 
mercial organizations  in  48  countries  were  represented.  There  were  altogether 
in  attendance  780  delegates  from  55  countries. 


MEMBERSHIP 

The  delegates  to  these  Congresses  are  of  two  classes:  first,  the  official  dele- 
gates designated  to  attend  the  Congresses  by  the  governments  of  the  leading 
commercial  nations;  second,  the  delegates  appointed  by  the  business  organiza- 
tions of  the  world  which  are  affiliated  with  the  Congress. 

In  the  case  of  the  five  Congresses  already  held  the  govenmient  of  the  coun- 
try in  which  the  Congress  is  to  meet  has  extended  official  invitations  to  the 
other  governments  of  the  world  to  appoint  delegates  to  the  Congress  and  thus 
extend  their  official  recognition.  Government  delegates  take  precedence  at 
the  official  sessions. 

Commercial  and  industrial  organizations  in  any  nation  in  the  world  are 
welcome  to  membership  in  the  Congress.  In  order  to  help  defray  the  expenses 
of  the  Permanent  Committee  and  the  Permanent  Headquarters  at  Brussels 
each  affiliated  organization  pays  a  yearly  subscription  of  fifty  francs.  This 
annual  fee  entitles  the  affiliated  organization  to  name  three  delegates  to  each 
Congress.  For  each  additional  delegate  which  an  organization  may  desire  to 
send  to  a  Congress,  an  additional  fee  of  twenty  francs  is  payable.  Individual 
members  of  an  affiliated  business  organization  may  be  admitted  to  the  Con- 
gress as  particii^ants  upon  a  pa>Tnent  of  a  fee  of  twenty  francs.  Only  delegates, 
however,  arc  entitled  to  vote  in  the  deliberations  of  a  Congress. 

There  are  at  present  480  commercial  organizations  in  fifty  coimtries  affiliated 
with  the  Permanent  Committee  at  Brussels  and  thus  entitled  to  participate  in 
the  International  Congresses  of  Chambers  of  Commerce.' 

1  For  list  of  affiliated  organizations,  sec  Appendix,  jiagc  117. 


r-      -    a* 

r    t  e 
-    =  a 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE 


PERMANENT    COMMITTEE 


In  order  to  give  continuity  to  the  work  it  was  determined  at  the  Li^ge 
Congress  to  organize  a  Permanent  Committee.  This  Committee  is  composed 
of  not  more  than  three  regular  members  and  three  alternates  from  each  coun- 
try. The  mcml)ers  of  the  Permanent  Connnittee  are  chosen  by  a  vote  of  the 
delegates  to  a  Congress  from  each  of  the  different  comitries  represented  and  hold 
office  for  two  years  or  until  the  time  of  the  meeting  of  the  succeeding  Congress. 
In  countries  where  there  is  a  national  federation  of  chambers  of  commerce  or 
commercial  and  industrial  associations  the  delegates  to  a  Congress  may  yield 
to  such  a  national  organization  the  right  to  choose  the  members  of  the  Permanent 
Committee  from  that  country. 

The  Permanent  Committee  decides  upon  the  place  at  which  the  next  Con- 
gress is  to  be  held  in  the  event  of  the  previous  Congress  not  having  done  so. 
The  duties  of  the  Permanent  Conmiittee  also  include  the  making  of  arrange- 
ments for  the  meetings  and  the  carrying  out  of  the  decisions  of  the  Congress. 

An  official  program  of  topics  to  be  discussed  at  the  official  sessions  of  each 
Congress  is  determined  by  the  Permanent  Conmiittee.  Each  affiliated  organiza- 
tion is  requested  to  forward  to  the  Permanent  Committee  any  questions  which 
it  may  desire  to  have  included  in  the  official  program,  together  with  a  report 
giving  the  essential  facts  with  regard  to  each  question.  The  Permanent  Com- 
mittee gives  careful  consideration  and  makes  an  investigation  of  all  topics  sug- 
gested and  places  upon  the  official  program  all  those  which  are  decided  to  be 
of  sufficient  international  importance.  For  each  topic  placed  upon  the  order 
of  the  day  the  Permanent  Committee  designates  a  reporter.  Each  reporter 
prepares  a  report  upon  his  topic,  and  this  report  is  printed  in  various  languages 
and  mailed  to  all  affiliated  commercial  organizations  and  nominated  delegates 
in  advance  of  the  Congress.  At  the  sessions  of  the  Congress  the  reporter  opens 
the  discussion  by  briefly  summarizing  the  report  which  has  been  previously 
printed  and  distributed.  The  discussion  is  then  thrown  open  to  any  delegate 
or  participant. 

After  the  discussion  of  the  topics  upon  the  order  of  the  day  a  vote  of  the 
Congress  is  generally  taken.  If  the  vote  taken  by  the  Congress  calls  for  defi- 
nite action  it  then  becomes  the  duty  of  the  Permanent  Committee  to  take 
steps  to  make  the  decision  effective.  This  is  taken  either  by  interesting  some 
government  to  call  a  diplomatic  conference  of  nations  to  consider  the  matter 
in  question  or  by  entering  into  negotiations  directly  with  the  different  govern- 
ments in  regard  to  it.  The  Permanent  Committee  has  obtained  its  most  notable 
successes  by  interesting  governments  to  call  diplomatic  conferences  for  the 
purpose  of  securing  international  co-operative  action  among  the  nations  in  har- 
mony with  the  opinion  expressed  by  the  Congress.  The  Permanent  Committee 
has  succeeded  in  this  way  in  enlisting  the  support  of  five  govenmients  in  ar- 
ranging for  diplomatic  conferences  of  nations.  The  governments  which  have 
called  such  conferences  and  the  topics  considered  at  them  are  as  follows:  Hoi- 


10  IXTERXATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

land,  on  Uniformity  of  Legislation  on  Bills  of  Exchange;  Belgium,  on  Uni- 
formity in  Customs  Statistics;  Switzerland,  on  a  Fixed  International  Calendar 
antl  a  Permanent  Day  for  Easter;  Italy,  on  the  Organization  and  Institution 
of  a  Program  for  an  International  ^laritime  Union;  and  Germany,  on  the 
Regulation  of  International  Expositions. 

Pending  any  further  decision  of  the  matter  by  the  Congress,  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Permanent  Committee  are  located  at  Brussels,  where  the  present 
office  is  at  10  rue  de  la  Tribune. 

CONCLUSION 

In  all  countries  the  relations  bet^A'een  commercial  organizations  which  are 
affiliated  with  the  International  Congress  and  the  governments  have  always 
been  of  an  extremely  cordial  nature.  The  interest  taken  in  the  work  of  the  Con- 
gress bj'  business  men  of  the  highest  standing  of  various  nationalities  together 
with  the  official  recognition  vouchsafed  b}'  the  governments  of  the  leading 
commercial  nations  have  made  possible  the  bringing  about  of  many  very  benefi- 
cial results  affecting  international  commerce.  The  decisions  of  the  Congress  in 
the  matter  of  the  topics  discussed  at  its  official  sessions  receive  everj-where  the 
most  serious  consideration. 

Beyond  this,  however,  the  bringing  together  of  so  many  business  leaders 
from  practicallj"  every  nation  of  the  globe  and  the  intimate  and  cgrdial  per- 
sonal relationships  which  are  thus  engendered  constitute  a  powerful  agency 
in  the  promotion  of  international  understanding.  And  it  is  mutual  understand- 
ing that  forms  the  firmest  basis  for  international  friendship  and  good  will. 
These  great  international  commercial  gatherings  form  one  of  the  most  potent 
forces  at  work  in  the  world  to-day  in  the  promotion  of  the  cause  of  international 
peace.  They  exemplifj'  and  promote  in  a  practical  way  the  motto  expressed 
at  the  opening  of  the  Liege  Congress,  "Conmaerce  is  Peace." 


programs  of  tfje  CongrcSfiesi 

The  importance  and  wide  variety  of  the  subjects  discussed  by  these  great 
international  commercial  gatherings  can  be  judged  from  the  programs  of  the 
five  Congresses  already  held. 

FIRST    CONGRESS 

The  First  Congress  considered  the  following  questions: 

International  Arbitration  (extension  of  the  powers  of  The  Hague  Arbi- 
tration Court  with  the  object  of  preventing  war  and  the  incalculable  loss  caused 
thereby,  not  only  to  the  belligerents,  but  to  all  commercial  nations). 

Chambers  of  Commerce  (advisability  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  being 
organized  in  every  country). 


I'ltolo  hy  .\fiirciitu,  lioslun 
CJEORGE   S.    SMITH 
C'hairiiiaii  Hoston  Executive  ( 'niiiniittee 


\  •ilmnn,  lioslon 
JOSEPH    U.    KLSSELL 
President  IJostici  Cliainher  of  ( ■oiiiiiieree 


ROHEKI'    .1.    HOTTOMI.V  .lAMES    A.    M.KIHHE.N' 

•retary  Hi)>ti.M  i;\.ruti\r  ( '<  itimiit  tc  c  Si.ritar.\-  H.i~tipii  (  ■liaiiil)er  of  C'oiniiiorce 

MEMBERS   OF  BOSTON   EXECUTIVE   COMMITTEE  ' 


KLMEIt    J.    ULIS.S 
Chairman  General  Organizing  Committee 


BERNAK1>   J.    HOTHW  1:1,1. 
Chairman  Committee  on  Entertainment 


/■hijlii,  l.ni,  hy  1:.  cnUkirlng 

,I»)11X    H.    FAHEY  WILLIAM    II.    HAIN 

Chairman  Committee  on  Tour  Director  of  the  Hoston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

MEMBERS   OF  BOSTON  EXECUTIVE   COMMITTEE 


CHAiMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  11 

Chambers  of  Commerce  (establishment  in  all  Chambers  of  Commerce  of 
Committees  on  Imports,  Exports,  Transports,  Industrial  Legislation  and  Com- 
mercial Education). 

Commercial  Federations  (establishment  of  such  in  all  countries  of  the  world, 
and  the  publication,  by  each,  of  a  periodical  to  contain  minutes  and  general 
information). 

Chambers  of  Commerce  (advisability  of  records  of  the  deliberations  of 
Chambers  of  Commerce  being  interchanged). 

Chambers  of  Commerce  (desirability  of  issuing  a  complete  exposition  of 
Chamber  of  Commerce  organization  and  of  the  federations  formed  by  them). 

SECOND    CONGRESS 

The  Second  Congress  considered  the  following  questions: 

Postal  Reform  (reduction  of  ordinary  letter  postage  and  that  for  printed 
matter,  samples,  etc.,  uniformity  in  conditions  and  rules,  suppression  of  the 
surtax  in  cases  of  insufficient  postage  on  letters). 

Telephonic  Service  (institution  of  a  Universal  Telephone  Union  on  the  lines 
adopted  by  the  Universal  Postal  and  Telegraph  Unions). 

International  Law  relating  to  Bills  of  Exchange  (the  adoption  of  a  univer- 
sal law). 

International  Arbitration  (recognition  of  arbitration  awards  by  foreign 
Governments). 

Maritime  Routes  (constitution  of  an  International  Maritime  Union,  with  a 
permanent  executive). 

Regulations  for  Exhibitions  (creation  of  permanent  committees  in  each 
comitry  to  be  federated  as  an  international  organization). 

Customs  Statistics  (uniform  classification  for  all  countries). 

Co-operation  iDetween  Consulates  and  Chambers  of  Commerce. 


THIRD    CONGRESS 

The  Third  Congress  considered  the  following  questions: 

International  Law  of  Bills  of  Exchange  (proposal  of  the  Dutch  Govern- 
ment to  convene  an  International  Conference  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  a 
scheme  of  uniform  international  legislation). 

Customs  Formalities  (reduction  to  what  is  strictly  necessary  and  interna- 
tional uniformity  therein). 

Customs  Statistics  (proposal  of  the  Belgian  Government  to  invite  the  chiefs 
of  the  customs  departments  of  the  various  nations  to  a  conference,  in  order  to 
secure  international  uniformity). 

Varial)ility  of  the  Date  of  Easter. 

Harmonization  of  Commercial  Customs. 

Regulations  governing  Exhibitions  (reiteration  of  previous  resolution). 


12  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS 

International  Maritime  Union  (proposal  of  the  Italian  Government  to  found 
such  an  organization,  draft  program  of  the  matters  which  might  be  considered 
by  such  an  organization). 

Political  Economy  (institution  of  chairs  of  International  Commercial  Poli- 
tics at  the  universities,  technical  schools,  etc.,  where  not  already  in  existence). 


FOURTH    CONGRESS 

The  Fourth  Congress  considered  the  following  questions: 

Establishment  of  a  Fixed  Date  for  Easter.  Unification  and  simplification 
of  the  Gregorian  Calendar. 

Direct  Representation  of  Commerce  and  Industry  at  ofl&cial  conferences 
and  international  economic  congresses. 

Development  of  Postal  Unions  and  of  the  European  Postal  Union. 

Unification  of  the  Law  regarding  Checks. 

Enforcement  of  Judgments  (and  Arbitration  Awards)  pronounced  in  for- 
eign countries. 

Advisability  of  all  countries  adhering  to  the  Convention  of  Madrid,  which 
deals  with  the  suppression  of  false  marks  of  origin  on  goods. 

Methods  of  Valuation  for  the  compilation  of  Customs  Statistics. 


FIFTH    CONGRESS 

The  Fifth  Congress  considered  the  following  questions : 

The  Establishment  of  a  Fixed  Date  for  Easter,  and  the  reform  of  the  Calen- 
dar. 

Ptcgulation  of  International  Expositions. 

The  Establishment  of  an  International  Court  of  Arbitral  Justice  for  suits 
between  individuals  and  foreign  States. 

The  Unification  of  Legislation  relating  to  Checks. 

International  Postal  Reforms  in  view  of  the  next  conference  of  the  Univer- 
sal Postal  Union  in  1913. 

Commercial  Statistics  and  the  immediate  institution  of  an  International 
Office. 

The  desirability  of  an  international  conference  upon  the  validation  of 
Through-order-notify  Bills  of  Lading,  and  of  legislation  and  other  means  for 
making  the  system  more  effective. 

The  desirability  of  international  uniformity  of  action  in  the  matter  of 
Consular  Invoices. 

The  desirability  of  an  international  conference  on  Prices  and  the  Cost  of 
Living. 

Arbitral  Jurisdiction  over  all  matters. 


JAME8   J.    STUKHoW 
Chairman  Boston  Honorary  Conunittee 


UDHKRT    WINSOK 
Chairman  Committee  on  Finance 


t'h'titj  hy  .\iii'rifl7l 

rin'i.  1.  w.  TALssic; 

Chairman  Committee  on  ProRram 


jAMKs  T.  \vi:thi:kald 

Chairman  Committee  on  Pul)licity 


MEMBERS   OF  BOSTON  EXECUTIVE   COMMITTEE 


J-.  lAiTiii  TLL  i5i:(;(; 

Chairman  of  Couiii-il  of  London  Chamber  of 
( "ominorce 


W.    J.    TIIOMl'SU.X 
London  Chanjbcr  of  Commerce 


M.    K.    V().\Ki:i{ 

("liainlicr  of  ( 'oninicrcc  and   Industry  of 
Anisterfltmi 


T.  i:i)\\  \in)  \\ii.I)i:h 

ChictiHo  Association  of  ("oinnicrce 


MEMBERS   OF   PERMANENT   COMMITTEE 


aictfi;  anb  lACSioliitionsi  of  tije  JJogton  Consrc£;s 

September  24,  25  and  2G,  1912. 

I.   The  Establishment  of  a  Fixed  Date  for  Easter  and  a  Uniform  Calendar 

Resolution:  The  Congress  renews  the  resolution  which  it 
passed  at  the  preceding  session  in  London  in  1910  in  favor  of  the 
establishment  of  a  fixed  date  for  Easter  and  of  a  uniform  calendar. 

II.   An  International  Court  of  Arbitral  Justice  for  Suits  between  Individuals 
and  Foreign  States 

Resolution  :  The  Congress  desires  to  record  its  opinion  in  favor 
of  the  creation  of  an  international  court  of  arbitral  justice  for  suits 
between  individuals  and  foreign  States.  It  would  be  grateful  to  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  if  the  latter  would  take  the  ini- 
tiative in  calling  a  conference  for  this  purpose. 

ni.   The  Unification  of  Legislation  relating  to  Checks 

Resolution:  The  Congress  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  unification 
of  the  laws  relating  to  checks  is  desirable.  The  Congress  recom- 
mends to  its  members  to  organize  a  committee  composed  of  one 
delegate  from  each  country,  which  shall  meet  at  London  and  prepare 
a  report  upon  this  question  for  consideration  at  the  next  Congress. 

rV.   International  Postal  Reforms 

Resolution:  The  Congress  requests  the  Permanent  Committee 
to  call  to  the  attention  of  the  L'niversal  Postal  Union  the  postal  re- 
forms formulated  in  the  following  propositions: 

1.  The  rate  fixed  by  the  Universal  Postal  Union  for  the  car- 
riage of  letters  shall  be  reduced  from  25  centimes  to  10  centimes, 
that  is,  to  the  tariff  rate  for  domestic  postage.  This  tariff  rate  shall 
be  collected  by  the  weight  or  fraction  of  the  weight  of  20  grams 
throughout  the  extent  of  the  Postal  Union,  the  weight  being  cal- 
culated by  the  metric  system. 

13 


14  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

2.  The  States  subscribing  to  the  Universal  Postal  Convention 
of  190G,  which,  by  virtue  of  item  III  of  the  final  protocol  of  this 
agreement,  have  retained  the  limits  of  weight  and  the  rates  of  the 
preceding  postal  agreement,  shall  renounce  this  exceptional  prac- 
tice. 

3.  In  international  postage  the  additional  charge  collected  by 
the  postal  service  for  the  absence  or  insufficiency  of  postage  on  ar- 
ticles of  letter  mail  shall  be  fixed  uniformly  at  5  centimes. 

4.  The  postal  administrations  of  the  States  belonging  to  the 
Universal  Union  shall  deliver  to  the  addressees  all  sealed  letters 
which  come  to  them  from  abroad,  even  when  the  exterior  of  the 
letter  does  not  conform  to  the  postal  regulations  of  the  country  of 
destination. 

5.  The  provision  of  Article  55  of  the  Universal  Postal  Convention 
I,  reading  that  samples  of  merchandise  must  have  no  merchantable 
value,  shall  be  repealed.  The  limit  of  weight  for  samples  shall  be 
raised  to  500  grams. 

G.  For  postal  parcels  the  limit  of  weight  shall  be  raised  from  5 
to  10  kilograms.  By  way  of  exception,  the  States  of  the  Postal 
Union  whose  domestic  regulations  forbid  the  sending  of  postal  par- 
cels of  more  than  5  kilograms  may  maintain  this  limit  of  weight. 

7.  The  Universal  Postal  Convention  shall  establish  a  special 
category  for  postal  parcels  of  a  maximum  weight  of  1  kilogram,  which, 
in  consideration  of  a  special  rate,  shall  be  shipped  by  a  more  rapid 
route. 

8.  The  Universal  Postal  Convention  shall  impose  upon  the 
States  of  the  Union  a  reasonable  period  for  the  delivery  of  postal 
parcels  varying  according  to  the  country  of  destination,  beyond 
which  the  postal  achninistrations  shall  be  responsible. 

9.  The  administrations  signing  the  agreement  concerning  postal 
parcels  shall  be  bound  to  accept  the  parcels  at  the  value  declared. 

10.  The  rate  for  business  papers  shall  be  fixed  as  for  printed 
matter  at  5  centimes  for  each  50  grams  or  fraction  thereof  (with- 
out minimum  rate). 

11.  The  acceptance  of  packages  for  collection  on  delivery  shall 
be  obligatory  for  all  the  countries  of  the  Postal  Union. 

12.  The  postal  service  is  responsible  for  packages  sent  subject 
to  collection  on  delivery  which  it  has  delivered  without  having  col- 
lected the  amount  of  the  charge. 


I 


I'Kor.    DK.    MAX    APT 


DR.    ALF.    cnOORC 


Syndic   of   "  Die  Altestcn  dcr  Kaufniaiiiiscluift  \'i(e-Presidont   of   Chanilxr   of   foiniiKrcc   of 

von  licrlin"  (Ij'iicva,  Switzerland 


i;r(;i;M:  allaud 

I'njiidfnt   IJi-lgian  Chanilwr  <<(  ' '■>miii<r><'    of 
Paria 

OFFICIAL   REPORTERS 


(  HAULKS    S.    HAIGHT 
Xfw  York,  X.  V. 


WILBUR   J.    CARIl  PKOF.    IHVIXC    FISHER 

Director  American  Consular  Service  Yale  University 

OFFICIAL  REPORTERS 


DR.    SOETBEER 

General  Secretary  of  "  Deutsdier  Ilamlels- 
taK,"  Berlin 


DR.    .NU\X    VOX    TAVI.XTHAL 

First  Secri-tary  f  "lianit)er  of  Conimeree  and  In- 
iliistrv,  X'ienna 


MEMBERS   OF   PERMANENT   COMMITTEE 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  15 

V.   Commercial  Statistics  and  the  Immediate  Institution  of  an  International 
Offiice 

The  Congress: 

Recognizing  the  initiative  taken  by  the  Belgian  Government  in 
bringing  together  at  Brussels  on  September  19,  1910,  delegates  of 
twenty-two  States  to  seek  for  the  means  of  introducing  more  harmony 
and  unity  in  the  tables  of  exchanges  of  the  commerce  of  the  whole 
world  ; 

Approving  the  decision  taken  at  that  conference  to  have  estab- 
lished for  each  one  of  these  States  in  addition  to  its  own  commercial 
statistics  a  common  nomenclature  under  which  may  be  grouped  all 
merchandise  imported  or  exported  under  the  heading  of  both  weight 
and  value; 

Expresses  the  wish  that  this  common  nomenclature  may  appear 
with  the  briefest  possible  delay  in  the  statistical  tables  of  the  govern- 
ments represented  at  the  conference,  and  hopes  that  the  Belgian 
Govermnent  may  be  willing  to  continue  its  co-operation  for  the 
realization  of  this  program; 

Approves  the  proposition  made  at  the  Brussels  Conference  for 
the  creation  of  an  international  bureau  of  commercial  statistics  for 
the  purpose  of  centralizing  information  under  all  useful  headings  to 
give  to  the  commerce  of  the  whole  world  an  annual  summary,  and 
as  soon  as  possible,  a  semi-annual  sununary  and  eventually,  a 
monthly  summary  of  the  commercial  movements  of  the  different 
countries  of  the  globe,  arranged  in  conformit}-  with  the  grouping  of 
merchandise  adopted  by  the  aforesaid  conference; 

Adopts  the  resolution  that  the  Belgian  Government  invite 
without  delay  all  the  States  to  conclude  a  convention  assuring  the 
execution  of  the  projected  works. 

VT.   Through-order-notify  Bills  of  Lading 

The  Congress  approves  the  resolution  now  pending  in  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States  for  establishing  the  liability  of  carriers  on 
bills  of  lading  issued  by  their  agents  in  international  shipments. 

The  Congress  views  with  satisfaction  the  system  of  a  Central 
Bureau  for  the  validation  of  bills  of  lading  in  international  trans- 
actions. 

The  Congress  refers  to  the  Permanent  Committee  the  consid- 
eration of  an  international  conference  for  the  purpose  of  promoting 
uniformity  in  the  laws  governing  the  liability  of  international 
carriers. 


16  IXTERXATIOXAL    CONGRESS 

Vn.   Consular  Invoices 

The  Congress  approves  in  principle  the  proposal  for  the  unifor- 
mity of  consular  invoices,  and  recommends  to  the  interested  States 
for  their  consideration  the  form  of  consular  invoice  prepared  bj'  the 
Fourth  Conference  of  the  Pan-American  Union. 

The  Congress  approves  the  recommendation  for  moderate  con- 
sular fees  and  their  strict  limitation  to  amounts  necessary  to  cover 
the  cost  of  the  consular  service. 

VIII.   The  High  Cost  of  Living 

The  Congress  approves  the  proposition  of  convoking  an  interna- 
tional congress  on  the  question  of  the  high  cost  of  living,  its  increase, 
its  causes,  its  results  and  the  measures  and  remedies  possible  to 
improve  the  situation. 

The  Congress  transmits  the  project  and  report  of  the  Hunga- 
rian National  Commercial  Association  for  the  miiform  compila- 
tion of  statistics  of  prices  to  the  Permanent  Connnitte  with  the 
view  of  its  taking  it  under  consideration  and  referring  it  eventually 
to  an  international  conference. 

IX.  Arbitral  Jurisdiction  over  all  Matters 

The  Congress  affirms  its  desire  to  see  convene,  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, official  international  conferences  which  will  assure  between 
nations  the  existence  of  arbitral  jurisdiction  conceived  in  the  widest 
sense  of  the  term,  and  of  a  nature  to  assure  an  equitable  solution  of 
all  international  disputes  either  between  individuals  of  different  States 
or  between  the  States  themselves. 

The  Congress  declares  its  adherence  to  the  principle  of  a  combi- 
nation of  nations,  when  and  where  possible,  to  endeavor  to  prevent 
the  atrocities  of  war. 


(Official  ^egsiionsi  at  JSofiton 

September,  24,  25  and  26,  1912 

FIRST    SESSION 
Tuesday  INIorning 

The  first  official  session  of  the  Congress  was  opened  by  George  S.  Smith,* 
Chairman  of  the  Boston  Executive  Committee,  President  of  the  Boston  Chamber 
of  Commerce  in  1911,  who  extended  a  hearty  welcome  to  the  delegates.  He 
introduced  Hon.  Charles  Nagel,-  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  for  the 
United  States,  who  extended  to  the  delegates  a  welcome  on  behalf  of  the  Gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  of  America.  Other  welcomes  followed.  His 
Excellency  Governor  Eugene  N.  Foss^  spoke  for  the  Commonwealth  of  ]\Iassa- 
ehusetts;  Hon.  John  F.  Fitzgerald •*  for  the  City  of  Boston;  President  Harry 
A.  Wheeler,^  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  United  States,  for  the  com- 
mercial organizations  of  the  United  States.  Edward  A.  Filene,®  Vice-President 
of  the  International  Congress,  and  a  former  director  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  extended  his  welcome  and  introduced  Louis  Canon-Legraxd," 
President  of  the  Fifth  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce,  who 
responded  for  the  delegates.    Then  began  the  first  official  session  of  the  Congress. 

President  Louis  Canon-Legrand  presented  the  opening  report  upon  the 
first  topic:  "The  establishment  of  a  fixed  date  for  Easter  and  the  reform  of  the 
calendar."*  He  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  at  the  instance  of  the  Per- 
manent Committee  the  Government  of  Switzerland  had  taken  the  initiative 
in  bringing  about  an  official  international  conference  upon  this  subject.  He 
further  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  in  June,  1912,  the  Congress  of  Cham- 
bers of  Connnerce  of  the  British  Empire  had  unanimously  passed  a  resolution 
upon  this  subject.     The  question  of  calendar  reform  was  discussed  by  F.  Faith- 

'  For  text  of  address  of  Chairman  Smith,  see  Appendix,  page  131. 
'  For  text  of  addre.is  of  Secretan*  Xagel,  see  Appendix,  page  132. 
'  For  text  of  address  of  Governor  Foss,  see  Appendix,  page  134. 

*  For  text  of  a<ldress  of  Mayor  Fitzgerald,  see  Appendix,  page  135. 

*  For  text  of  address  of  President  Wheeler,  see  .Appendix,  page  13S. 

'  For  text  of  address  of  Vice-President  Filene,  see  Appendix,  page  140. 
'  For  text  of  address  of  President  Canon-Legrand,  see  .\ppenfiix,  page  141. 
'  For  text  of  report  upon  a  fixed  date  for  Easter  and  the  reform  of  the  calendar,  see  Appen- 
dix, page  144. 

17 


18  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

FULL  Begg,''  Chairman  of  the  Council  of  the  London  Chamber  of  Commerce; 
Ernst  Krause,'^  Vice-President  of  the  Lower  Austrian  Association  for  the 
Promotion  of  Handicraft;  Alfred  Aslett"  of  the  Barrow-in-Furness  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce.  The  vote  of  the  London  Congress  in  favor  of  a  fixed  date 
for  Easter  and  of  calendar  reform  was  reaffirmed.  Mr.  Filene  presented  a 
letter  from  the  Chinese  delegates  assuring  the  Congress  of  their  hearty  accord 
with  the  vote  taken. 

SECOND    SESSION 
Tuesday  Afternoon 

The  discussion  of  calendar  reform  was  concluded  in  the  early  part  of  the 
second  session. 

President  Canon-Legrand  submitted  a  report  upon  the  regulation  of  in- 
ternational expositions/-  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  German  Govern- 
ment was  taking  the  initiative  in  calling  an  official  international  conference 
on  this  subject  for  October,  1912. 

Prof.  Dr.  Max  Apt  of  Berlin  submitted  the  ofl&cial  report  on  the  second 
topic  of  the  order  of  the  day:  "The  establishment  of  an  international  court 
of  arbitral  justice  for  suits  between  individuals  and  foreign  States,"  ^^  and  offered 
a  resolution  in  favor  of  the  establishment  of  such  a  court.  The  principal 
speakers  upon  this  topic  were  R.  S.  Eraser  ^^  of  the  London  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce; Dr.  Louis  Varjassy,^^  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  In- 
dustry of  Arad,  Hungary;  and  Eugene  Allard,'^  President  of  the,  Belgian 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris.  Roberto  Pozzi^^  then  addressed  the  Con- 
gress on  question  of  arbitration  of  suits  between  individuals  of  different  States 
and  offered  the  f ollo'^'ing  motion : 

"The  International  Federation  of  the  Patronal  Associations  of  Weavers 
and  Manufacturers  of  Cotton  express  the  keenest  approbation  of  the  proposi- 
tion of  "Die  Altesten  der  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin"  for  the  creation  of  an 
arbitral  tribunal  for  the  differences  between  individuals  and  foreign  States, 
recommends  to  the  attention  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Congresses  the 
study  of  the  ciuestion  concerning  the  unification  of  the  different  systems  of 
law,  in  the  matter  of  arbitration  between  individuals,  especially  as  regards  the 
validity  or  otherwise  of  the  clause  of  compromise,  and  requests  the  Congress 
to  take  into  consideration  this  question,  and  to  refer  it  to  the  desk  so  that  it 
may  be  presented  to  the  next  Congress  after  instruction." 

»  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Begg,  sec  Appendix,  page  145. 
"  For  text  and  translation  of  address  of  Mr.  Krause,  sec  Appendix,  page  147. 
"  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Aslett,  see  Appendix,  page  150. 

"  For  text  of  report  on  the  regulation  of  international  expositions,  see  Appendix,  page  152. 
"  For  text  and  translation  of  the  report  of  Dr.  Apt  upon  an  international  arbitration 
court  for  suits  between  individuals  and  foreign  States,  see  Appendix,  page  154. 
>*  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Fraser,  see  Appendix,  page  161. 
"  For  text  and  translation  of  address  of  Dr.  Varjassy,  see  Appendix,  page  162. 
"  For  text  and  translation  of  address  uf  Mr.  AUard,  see  Appendix,  page  165. 
"  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Pozzi,  see  Appendix,  page  168. 


HON".    .lolIX    HAHRETT 
1  >ircctur-(  iciifial    of  tlir   I':iii-Ainorif;in  I'liicin 


II.   i;.   r 


Pliiilu  l>v  Harris  A-  h'li  iii<; 

\.  i>i:zi:t 


Miiiistrr  of  I'lTii,  \\  :i>liiimtoii,  1).  ('.;  1  )<lc>;:itc 

of  conimcii-ial  associiitioiis  of  Liiii:i  ami 

Callao 


■  '  'fV  H'trri.1  A-  Eirintj 

H.    K.    1)I{.    CARLOS    MARIA    DK    PKN.V 

Minister  of  rniKiiay,  \\ 'a.-^liiriKtoii,  D.C; 
Government  Delegate  of  Uruguay 


fhnin  by  Harris  ■<•  hUrlng 

II.    v..    ANTONIO    MARTIN"    RIVKRO 

Minister  of  C'ulia,  WasliiuKton.  U.  C;  (Jovern- 
nicnt  Delegate  of  C'ul)a 


MANUEL     JACIXTHO     FERREIRA     DA 
CUXHA 

Consul  (Jciieral  of  Briizil,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


COUNT     CAXDII)(^     DE     MENDES     DE 
ALMEIDA 

Director  Coniiiicnial  Museum  of  Rio  de 
Janeiro 


J'holu  hu  Campbell  siudlu,  X.  Y, 
I'l.DRO    RAFAEL    RINCONES  ADOLFO    ]}ALLIVL\N 

Consul  General  of  Venezuela,  New  York,  X.  Y.  Consul  General  of  liolivia,  Xew  York,  N.  Y. 

GOVERNMENT   DELEGATES 


i#' 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  19 

Lawrence  V.  Benet^^  of  the  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris 
urged  the  adoption  of  a  resolution  to  include  the  arbitration  of  suits  between 
individuals  of  different  countries. 

Edwin  D.  Mead^^  of  Boston  urged  the  consideration  of  the  question  of 
arbitration  between  the  goverimients  of  different  nations  and  submitted  the 
follo\ving  resolution: 

"The  Fifth  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce,  representing 
the  great  interests  of  industry  and  commerce  which  are  increasing  so  rapidly 
the  interdependence  of  nations  and  demand  so  imperatively  for  their  advance- 
ment and  prosperit}^  the  peace  and  order  of  the  world,  urges  the  commercial 
organizations  of  all  countries  to  earnest  efforts  for  the  widest  extension  of  ar- 
bitration to  the  settlement  of  international  disputes  and  for  the  earliest  pos- 
sible establishment  of  the  Court  of  Arbitral  Justice  provided  for  by  the  last 
Hague  Conference." 

This  resolution  was  supported  by  Edwin  Ginn'^"  and  Samuel  B.  Capen^^  of 
Boston  and  Frank  D.  La  Lanne-  of  Philadelphia,  and  was  discussed  at  length. 
The  Congress  went  on  record  in  favor  of  the  resolution  proposed  by  Dr.  Apt. 
The  President  of  the  Congress  ruled  that  the  other  two  resolutions  were  not 
admissible  for  action  by  the  Congress  as  amendments  to  the  second  question 
on  the  order  of  the  day,  but  were  really  new  questions  not  on  the  order  of  the 
day,  and  therefore  would  have  to  be  referred  to  the  Permanent  Committee  to 
be  considered  for  the  program  of  the  next  Congress. 

The  exact  meaning  of  this  ruling  was  discussed  with  the  President  by 
Bernard  J.  Shoninger  and  William  J.  Thomas  of  the  American  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  Paris.^ 

THIRD    SESSION 
Wednesday  Morning 

The  third  session  was  opened  by  a  statement  in  English  of  Vice-President 
FiLENE^*  explaning  the  ruling  of  the  President  at  the  conclusion  of  the  second 
session.  This  was  discussed  by  Bernard  J.  Shoninger^^  and  explained  in 
German  by  Dr.  Soetbeer,-^  General  Secretary  of  "Der  Deutscher  Handelstag" 
of  Berlin.  The  President  then  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  members  of  the 
Permanent  Committee  were  elected  by  the  delegates  of  the  various  countries 

"  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Benet,  sec  Appendix,  page  170. 
"  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Mead,  see  Appendix,  page  171. 
"  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Ginn,  see  Appendix,  page  172. 
^'  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Capen,  see  Api)cndix,  page  175. 
**  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  La  Lanne,  see  Appendix,  page  17G. 

"  For  text  of  discussion  between  the  President  and  Messrs.  Shoninger  and  Thomas,  see 
Appendix,  pages  177-183. 

■*  For  statement  of  Vice-President  Filene,  see  Appendix,  page  185. 

"  For  statement  of  Mr.  Shoninger,  see  .Vppcndix,  page  186. 

^  For  text  and  translation  of  statement  of  Dr.  Soetbeer,  see  Appendix,  page  187. 


20  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

represented  at  the  Congress,  with  the  exception  of  those  countries  where  there 
exists  a  national  federation  of  chambers  of  commerce,  to  which  this  right  can 
be  granted. 

Prof.  Dr.  Max  Apt  of  Berhn  presented  his  report  upon  the  third  subject 
in  the  order  of  the  day:  "The  unification  of  legislation  relating  to  checks."-^ 
The  principal  speakers  upon  this  question  besides  Dr.  Apt  were  Dr.  Candido 
DE  Mendes  de  Almeida 2^  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil;  EugJine  Allard-'-'  of 
Paris;  Charles  Christophe'"  of  Ghent;  F.  Faithfull  Begg'^  of  London; 
and  Max  Richter^-  of  Berlin,  General  discussion  followed  which  was  par- 
ticipated in  by  delegates  from  many  countries.^^  The  Congress  went  unani- 
mously on  record  in  favor  of  the  desirability  of  unification  of  the  laws  relating 
to  checks. 

The  second  part  of  the  resolution  offered  by  Dr.  Apt  was  as  follows: 

"A  necessary  complement  to  the  creation  of  a  universal  law  on  bills  of 
exchange  and  checks  is  the  creation  of  a  high  court  at  The  Hague  which  will  de- 
cide as  a  court  of  last  appeal  controversies  regarding  questions  involving  the 
universal  law  of  bills  of  exchange  and  checks." 

This  second  proposition  was  not  adopted  as  a  resolution  by  the  Congress. 
This  session  ended  by  a  vote  of  the  Congress  requesting  that  all  motions 
should  be  repeated  in  three  languages,  —  French,  EngUsh  and  German.'^ 

FOURTH    SESSION 

Wednesday  Afternoon 

At  the  opening  of  the  fourth  session  on  Wednesday  afternoon  it  was  agreed 
that  the  fourth  topic  on  the  order  of  the  day  with  reference  to  Postal  Reforms 
should  go  over  until  Thursday  morning.  Eugene  Allard  then  presented  his 
official  report  upon  the  fifth  topic:  "Commercial  statistics  and  the  immediate 
institution  of  an  international  office."  ^^  This  topic  was  discussed  by  W.  M. 
Hays,^^  Assistant  Secretary  of  Agriculture  for  the  United  States,  R.  S.  Fraser^' 

2'  For  text  and  translation  of  the  report  of  Dr.  Apt  ujjon  the  unification  of  legislation 
relating  to  checks,  see  Appendix,  page  190. 

2*  For  text  and  translation  of  Dr.  Almeida,  see  Appendix,  page  204. 

"  For  text  and  translation  of  address  of  Mr.  Allard,  see  Appendix,  page  210. 

"  For  text  and  translation  of  address  of  Mr.  Christophe,  see  Appendix,  page  212. 

"  J^or  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Bcgg,  see  Appendix,  page  214. 

"  For  text  and  translation  of  address  of  Mr.  Ilichter,  see  Appendix,  page  216. 

^  For  general  discussion  of  the  unification  of  legislation  relating  to  checks,  see  Appen- 
dix, pages  217-221. 

"  For  discussion  of  the  need  of  the  statement  of  the  votes  in  the  difTercnt  languages, 
see  Appendix,  pages  222-230. 

"  For  text  and  translation  of  the  report  of  Mr.  Allard  on  commercial  statistics,  see  Ap- 
pendix, page  231. 

"  For  text  of  address  of  Assistant  Secretary  Hays,  see  Appendix,  page  233. 

"  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Fraser,  see  Appendix,  page  235. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  21 

of  London,  Dr.  Soetbeer'^  of  Berlin  and  B.  J.  Shoninger''  of  Paris.  The 
Congress  unanimously  went  on  record  in  approval  of  the  initiative  taken  by 
the  Belgian  Government  in  bringing  together  an  international  conference  upon 
this  subject  at  Brussels  in  1910,  and  expressed  the  wish  that  the  Belgian  Gov- 
ernment should  invite  without  delay  all  States  to  conclude  a  convention 
assuring  uniform  international  commercial  statistics  and  the  immediate  insti- 
tution of  an  international  office. 

Charles  S.  Haight  of  New  York  then  presented  his  official  report  upon  the 
sixth  topic  of  the  order  of  the  day:  "The  desirability  of  an  international  con- 
ference upon  the  validation  of  through-order-notify  bills  of  lading,  and  of 
legislation  and  other  means  for  making  the  system  more  effective."^"  This  sub- 
ject was  discussed  by  Samuel  E.  Piza"*^  of  Costa  Rica.  The  Congress  went  on 
recortl  in  approval  of  the  legislation  on  this  matter  now  pending  in  the  Congress 
of  the  United  States  and  referred  to  the  Permanent  Committee  the  consideration 
of  the  question  of  an  international  conference  to  promote  uniformity  in  the 
laws  governing  the  liability  of  international  carriers. 


FIFTH    SESSION 
Thursday  Morning 

The  fifth  session  opened  with  the  presentation  by  Alfred  Georg  of  Geneva, 
Switzerland,  of  his  report  upon  the  fourth  topic  on  the  order  of  the  day:  "In- 
ternational postal  reforms  in  view  of  the  next  conference  of  the  Universal 
Postal  Union  in  1913." ■'^  This  topic  was  discussed  by  Hugo  Manes"  of  the 
Association  of  Export  Houses,  Frankfort-on-the-Main;  Bernard  J.  Shon- 
INGER^'  of  Paris;  A.  Barton  Kent^^  of  London;  Eduardo  Agusti^^  of  Bar- 
celona; and  Dr.  C.\ndido  de  Mendes  de  Almeida*^  of  Rio  de  Janeiro.  The 
Congress  adopted  twelve  specific  propositions  for  postal  reforms,  and  requested 
the  Permanent  Committee  to  call  them  to  the  attention  of  the  Universal  Postal 
Union. 

Thomas  Sammons,  American  Consul  General  at  Yokohama,  Japan,  pre- 
sented the  official  report  prepared  by  Wilbur  J.  Carr,  Director  of  the  Ameri- 
can Consular  Service,  on  "The  desirability  of  international  uniformitj' of  action 

'*  For  text  and  tran-^lation  of  address  of  Dr.  Soetbeer,  see  .\ppendi.\,  page  236. 
"  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Shoningcr,  see  Appendix,  page  236. 

"  For  text  of  the  report  of  Mr.  Haight  on  through-order-notify  bills  of  lading,  see  Appen- 
dix, page  239. 

"  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Piza,  see  Appendix,  page  241. 

"  For  text  of  report  of  Dr.  Georg  on  postal  rcform.s,  see  Appendix,  page  245. 

**  For  text  and  translation  of  address  of  Mr.  Manes,  see  Appendix,  page  253. 

**  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Shoninger,  see  Appendix,  page  256. 

**  For  text  of  aildrcss  of  Mr.  Kent,  see  Appendix,  page  256. 

*•  For  text  of  remarks  of  Mr.  Agusti,  see  Appendix,  page  257. 

"  For  text  of  remarks  of  Dr.  Almeida,  see  Appendix,  page  258. 


22  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

in  the  matter  of  consular  invoices."'*^  William  C.  Do\n'xs/^  an  American 
exporter,  presented  a  specially  prepared  supplementary  report  upon  this  topic. 
The  question  was  further  discussed  by  Dr.  Edmund  Kunosi,^"  Assistant  Secre- 
tary in  the  Royal  Hungarian  ISIinistrj^  of  Commerce;  Lawrence  V.  Benet^^ 
of  the  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris;  Honorable  John  Barrett,  ^- 
Director-General  of  the  Pan-American  Union;  C.  H.  Catelli"  of  the  Montreal 
Chamber  of  Commerce;  C.  D.  Morton^*  of  the  London  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce; Dr.  Soetbeer"  of  Berlin;  Dr.  A.  Kiesselbach ^®  of  the  Hamburg 
Chamber  of  Commerce;  Hugo  Manes ^^  of  Frankfort-on-the-Main;  Paul 
Meyer^*  of  Nottingham;  Joseph  A.  Leckie^^  of  Walsall;  His  Excellency  F.  A. 
Pezet/°  Minister  of  Peru  at  Washington;  and  Eugene  Allard"  of  Paris. 
The  Congress  adopted  resolutions  in  favor  of  uniform  consular  invoices  and 
recommended  for  consideration  the  form  of  consular  invoice  prepared  by  the 
Fourth  Conference  of  the  Pan-American  Union.  It  approved  the  recommen- 
dation for  moderate  consular  fees  and  their  limitation  to  amounts  necessary 
to  cover  the  cost  of  the  consular  service.  On  behalf  of  the  Cuban  delegation 
His  Excellency  Antonio  Martin  Riverg/^  Minister  of  Cuba  at  Washington, 
stood  sponsor  for  these  resolutions. 

Prof.  Irving  Fisher  of  Yale  University  presented  the  report  upon  the  eighth 
topic  of  the  order  of  the  day:  "The  desirability  of  an  international  conference 
on  prices  and  the  cost  of  living."  ^^  This  question  was  discussed  by  Dr. 
Edmund  Kunosi"  of  Budapest;  C.  H.  Canby^^  of  Chicago;  Prof.  F.  W. 
Taussig®^  of  Harvard  University;  F.  W.  Cook^^  of  Dudley,  England;  and 
J.  Pierson"^  of  the  Netherlands  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris.  The  Con- 
gress approved  the  proposition  of  convoking  an  international  conference  on 

*8  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Sammons  on  consular  invoices,  see  Appendix,  page  260. 
*'  For  text  of  report  of  Mr.  Downs  on  consular  invoices,  see  Appendix,  page  262. 
*"  For  text  of  address  of  Dr.  Kunosi,  see  Appendix,  page  261. 
''  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Benet,  see  Appendix,  page  262. 
"  For  text  of  address  of  Director-General  Barrett,  see  Appendix,  page  267. 
"  For  text  and  translation  of  address  of  Mr.  Catelli,  see  Appendix,  page  268. 
"  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Morton,  see  Appendix,  page  269. 
**  For  text  and  translation  of  address  of  Dr.  Soetbeer,  see  Appendix,  page  269. 
'•  For  text  and  translation  of  address  of  Dr.  Kiesselbach,  see  Appendix,  i>age  271. 
"  For  text  and  translation  of  address  of  Mr.  Manes,  see  Appendix,  page  271. 
'*  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Mej'er,  see  Appendix,  page  272. 
''  For  tex-t  of  address  of  Mr.  Leckie,  see  Appendix,  page  272. 
•"  For  text  of  address  of  His  Excellency  F.  A.  Pezet,  see  Appendix,  page  273. 
«*  For  text  and  translation  of  statement  of  Mr.  AUard,  see  Appendix,  page  273. 
"  For  statement  of  His  Excellency  A.  M.  Ilivero,  see  Appendix,  page  274. 
^  For  text  of  report  of  Professor  Fisher  upon  an  international  conference  on  the  cost 
of  living,  see  Appendix,  page  274. 

**  For  text  of  address  of  Dr.  Kunosi,  see  Appendix,  page  277. 

"  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Canby,  see  Appendix,  page  277. 

**  For  text  of  address  of  Professor  Taussig,  see  Appendix,  page  278. 

"  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Cook,  see  Appendix,  page  278. 

"  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Pierson,  see  Appendix,  page  280. 


/ 


^^K  -^ 

1 

^J  _ 

'1 

■ill        i 

.  1 

DH.    LKoXHAHI)    HOCHDORF 
Secretary  to  the  Austrian  Ministry  of  Commerce 


DR.    KDMIXI)    KIXOSI 

Assistant    Secretary    Hungarian    Ministry    of 
("oinnierce 


VICKNTK   (loNZALKS  KAM<).\    ARIAS  1  KKAID 

Ecuador  Panama 

GOVERNMENT   DELEGATES 


I)H.    AHKL    PARDO 
Consul  Goncial  of  Ar>;cntiiia,  New  York,  X.  Y. 


KK'AUDO    SANCHEZ    CRUZ 
Consul  Cionoral  of  Chile,  Now  York,  X.  "i' 


lioRACK    N.    ri.xilKR  UK.    JORGE    VARGAS 

(  nii.-ul  of  Cliili',  Rostoii.  Ma-s.  Consul  of  Colombia,  Hoston,  Mass. 

GOVERNMENT  DELEGATES 


J 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  23 

the  high  cost  of  Uving,  and  transmitted  the  report  of  the  Hungarian  National 
Commercial  Association  for  the  harmonious  compilation  of  statistics  of  prices 
to  the  Permanent  Committee  with  a  view  of  its  taking  it  under  consideration 
and  referring  it  eventually  to  the  proposed  international  conference. 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  discussion  Louis  Canox-Legrand,*^  President  of 
the  Congress,  presented  a  further  resolution  upon  the  topic  of  international 
arbitration  which  was  as  follows: 

"The  Congress  affirms  its  desire  to  see  convened  as  soon  as  possible  official 
international  conferences,  assuring  between  nations  the  existence  of  arliitral 
jurisdiction  in  the  widest  sense  of  the  term  and  of  a  nature  to  assure  an  equi- 
table solution  of  all  international  controversies,  either  between  individuals  of 
dilTerent  States,  or  between  the  States  themselves. 

The  Congress  declares  its  adherence  to  the  principle  of  a  combination  of 
nations  when  and  where  possible  to  endeavor  to  prevent  the  atrocities  of  war." 

This  resolution  was  discussed  by  R.  S.  Fraser^"  of  London;  Sir  John  E. 
Bingh.\m"  of  London;  Frank  D.  La  Laksb'-  of  Philadelphia;  and  Bernard 
J.  Shoninger"'  of  Paris.     It  was  unanimously  adopted  by  the  Congress. 

The  question  of  the  choice  of  the  next  place  of  meeting  for  the  Congress 
was  referred  to  the  Permanent  Committee  for  decision.  Invitations  were  pre- 
sented from  Barcelona,  Spain;  Geneva,  Switzerland;  Monaco;  Amsterdam, 
Holland;  Leipzig,  Germany;  and  Lisbon,  Portugal. 

In  appreciation  of  the  hospitality  extended  to  the  delegates,  Louis  Lazard '^ 
of  Brussels  proposed  a  contribution  for  the  poor  of  Boston.  The  official  sessions 
of  the  Congress  concluded  with  expressions  of  appreciation  for  the  welcome 
extended  at  Boston.  On  motion  of  Sir  Joseph  Lawrence  of  London,  seconded 
by  B.  J.  Shoninger  of  Paris,  a  cordial  vote  of  thanks  was  extended  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Congress,  Louis  Canon-Legrand. 

On  Wednesday,  Thursday  and  Friday  mornings  Special  Fifth  International 
Congress  editions  of  the  "Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  News"  were  published 
and  delivered  to  the  delegates  before  the  start  of  the  day's  activities.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  running  account  of  the  different  events,  these  issues  contained  a  com- 
plete stenographic  report  of  the  official  proceedings  of  the  preceding  day,  and 
on  Friday  morning  contained  the  stenographic  report  of  the  addresses  delivered 
at  the  concluding  banquet. 

••  For  text  of  address  of  President  Canon-Legrand  on  international  arl>it ration,  see 
Appendix,  page  281. 

'"  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Eraser,  see  Appendix,  page  283. 
''  For  text  of  address  of  Sir  John  E.  Binghanf,  see  Appendix,  page  2S  J. 
"  For  text  of  addre.ss  of  Mr.  La  Lannc,  see  .ippendix,  page  285. 
"  For  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Shoninger,  see  .Vppcndix,  page  285. 
**  For  statement  of  Mr.  Lazard,  see  .\ppcndix,  page  287. 


Z\)t  €bents;  at  ?Bos;ton 

The  official  sessions  of  the  Fifth  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of 
Commerce  were  held  in  the  hall  of  the  Copley  Plaza  Hotel,  Boston,  on  Tuesday, 
Wednesday  and  Thursday,  September  twenty-fourth,  twenty-fifth  and  twenty- 
sixth.  The  greater  part  of  the  delegates  arrived  in  Boston  on  Sunday  and 
Monday,  September  twenty-second  and  twenty-third.  The  special  trains, 
which  took  a  goodly  share  of  the  delegates  from  abroad  on  a  tour  of  some  of 
the  principal  conmiercial  and  industrial  centers  of  the  United  States  departed 
from  Boston  on  Monday  morning,  September  thirtieth.  Thus  slightly  more 
than  one  week  was  devoted  to  the  official  sessions  and  entertainment  in  Boston. 

The  official  headquarters  and  bureau  of  information  were  opened  in  the 
Copley  Plaza  Hotel  on  Sunday,  September  twenty-second.  At  the  official 
headquarters  there  were  constantly  in  attendance  during  the  entire  stay  in 
Boston  representatives  of  the  various  Boston  committees,  and  a  corps  of  secre- 
taries and  interpreters  entirely  at  the  disposal  of  the  delegates.  During  the 
days  upon  which  the  delegates  were  arriving,  all  the  trains  entering  the  city 
were  boarded  by  representatives  of  the  Boston  committees  at  about  the  distance 
of  one  hour's  journey  from  Boston.  The  representatives  of  the  Boston  commit- 
tees gave  directions  to  the  delegates  on  each  train  as  to  how  to  reach  the  offi- 
cial headquarters,  and  advised  them  specifically  of  the  hotel  reservations  which 
had  been  secured  for  them  by  the  Boston  conmiittees.  Delegates  who  were 
not  informed  of  their  hotel  reservations  in  this  manner  were  taken  promptly 
to  their  hotels  upon  application  at  the  bureau  of  information. 

In  accordance  with  previous  advices,  all  delegates  were  directed  to  proceed 
at  once  to  official  headquarters  and  register.  During  the  first  few  days  of  the 
Congress  780  officially  appointed  delegates  from  55  countries  made  their  regis- 
tration at  headquarters.  This  number  included  delegates  officially  accredited 
from  the  governments  of  33  countries. 

Immediately  upon  registration  each  delegate  was  presented  with  a  large 
folder.  In  this  folder  was  a  complete  set  in  French,  English  and  German  of 
the  reports  prepared  by  the  official  reporters  upon  each  subject  upon  the  order 
of  the  day  of  the  Congress,  as  well  as  the  order  of  the  day  itself  in  the  sixteen 
languages  which  the  cosmopolitan  character  of  the  Congress  made  necessarj*. 
There  were  besides  included  a  guide-book  of  Boston;  a  handsomely  leather- 
bound  book  descriptive  of  the  city,  with  the  individual  name  of  the  delegate  in- 
scribed upon  the  cover;  a  booklet  of  taxicab  coupons  for  the  use  of  the  delegates 

25 


26  IXTERXATIOXAL    CONGRESS    OF 

in  journeys  about  the  city;  cards  admitting  each  delegate  to  at  least  three 
clubs;  a  small  leather  booklet  containing  armouncements  and  tickets  to  the  offi- 
cial sessions  and  all  entertainment  events;  booklets  announcing  the  plans  for 
Boston  and  for  the  tour;  a  booklet  containing  a  list  of  the  delegates,  numbered 
in  the  order  of  the  receipt  of  the  announcement  of  their  appointment;  and  a 
badge  identifying  the  delegate  by  country'  and  number. 


Monday,  September  23 

At  six  o'clock  on  Monday  evening  all  members  of  the  Permanent  Conunittee 
met  at  diimer  with  members  of  the  Boston  Executive  Conmiittee,  made  and  re- 
newed manj'  personal  acquaintanceships,  and  talked  over  the  general  outline 
of  the  plans  for  the  official  sessions. 

On  Monday  evening  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  tendered  a  formal 
reception  to  all  the  delegates  and  their  ladies  who  accompanied  them.  This  re- 
ception was  held  in  the  ball-room  of  the  Copley  Plaza  Hotel  from  eight  until  ten 
o'clock.  It  was  a  social  occasion  such  as  has  seldom  taken  place.  There  were 
in  attendance  over  one  thousand  men  and  women  representing  practically  everj- 
country  on  the  globe.  The  guests  were  received  in  the  foyer  of  the  ball-room 
by  President  and  Mrs.  Joseph  B.  Russell  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
Chairman  and  ISIrs.  George  S.  Smith  of  the  Boston  Executive  Committee. 
Chairman  and  IMrs.  James  J.  Storrow  of  the  Boston  Honorary  Committer, 
Mayor  and  Mrs.  John  F.  Fitzgerald  of  Boston,  President  and  Mme.  Louis 
Canox-Legrand  of  the  International  Congress,  Vice-President  EdwARD  A. 
Filene  of  the  International  Congress,  and  Secretary  and  Mme.  £mile  Jott- 
RAND  of  the  International  Congress. 

For  two  hours  the  delegates  mingled  and  became  acquainted  with  each 
other  as  a  preliminary  to  the  week  of  business  sessions  and  entertainment.  In 
the  great  ball-room  a  buffet  luncheon  was  ser\'ed. 


Tuesday,  September  24 

The  official  opening  of  the  Congress  took  place  at  10.30  a.m.  Tuesday  morn- 
ing in  the  ball-room  of  the  Copley  Plaza  Hotel,  which  had  been  rearranged  and 
fitted  out  for  this  purpose.  The  first  official  session  lasted  until  half  past  twelve 
o'clock. 

Between  the  morning  and  afternoon  sessions  of  the  Congress  the  delegates 
were  taken  in  special  cars  as  the  guests  of  the  Boston  Elevated  Railway  to 
Cambridge  by  way  of  the  subway  and  viaduct.  The  delegates  were  served  a 
buffet  luncheon  in  the  shops  of  the  Company  at  Cambridge,  and  returned  to 
Boston  by  way  of  the  new  Cambridge  tmmel. 

During  the  morning  session  the  visiting  women  were  entertained  by  a  com- 
mittee of  women  of    Boston.    They  were   taken  on  an  automobile  trip    in 


DELEGAIKS    AT    O.NK    OF    Till':    <  )I1I(   I  \I.    SKSSK  iX.- 


SPECIAL    i;niTIO\8    OF    THE    "BOSTON    f'HAMHEK    OF    roMMERCE    NEWS' 


GROUP    OF    DELEGATES    FROM    BRITISH    EMPIRE    SAILIXti    FROM    BOSTON 


GROIP    OF    DELEGATES    FROM    JAPAN 


♦-• 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  27 

motor  cars  through  the  Boston  Fens,  through  Cambridge  and  by  the  Paul 
Revere  route  to  Lexington  and  Concord.  After  the  trip  tlip  whole  party  were 
the  guests  of  Mrs.  Joseph  B.  Russell,  wife  of  tlie  President  of  the  Boston 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  in  her  Cambridge  home. 

The  members  of  the  Congress  reassembled  for  the  second  official  session 
at  half  past  two  in  the  afternoon  and  adjourned  at  five  o'clock. 

In  the  evening  the  delegates  and  their  wives  and  daughters  assembled  in 
Symphony  Hall  and  listened  to  a  concert  by  members  of  the  Boston  S}^nphony 
Orchestra  led  by  Gustav  Strube.  The  delegates  enjoyed  a  most  interesting 
program  made  up  of  selections  from  the  composers  of  many  countries.  The 
delegates  were  seated  at  round  tables  on  the  floor  of  the  hall  and  were  served 
with  light  refreshments  during  the  evening.  In  the  galleries  were  members 
of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  their  families. 


Wednesday,  September  25 

On  Wednesday  the  third  official  session  lasted  from  ten  until  one  o'clock. 

Between  the  morning  and  afternoon  sessions  an  official  photograph  of  the 
delegates  to  the  Congress  was  taken  in  front  of  the  Copley  Plaza  Hotel.  A 
temporary  stand  had  been  erected  and  on  it  were  seated  the  something  over 
seven  hundred  delegates  who  were  present  at  the  time  the  official  photograph 
was  taken.    A  copy  of  this  photograph  was  presented  to  each  delegate. 

From  three  until  half  past  four  o'clock  was  devoted  to  the  fourth  official 
session  of  the  Congress. 

During  Wednesday  afternoon  the  ladies  went  by  automobile  for  a  visit  to 
Wellesley  College,  where  the  party  was  received  by  Aliss  Ellen  F.  Pendleton, 
its  president.  The  visit  to  the  college  was  followed  by  a  reception  in  the  Italian 
garden  of  the  Walter  Hunnewell  estate.  Earlier  in  the  day  many  of  the  ladies 
went  shopping  and  took  luncheon  at  the  Assembly  Club.  Another  group  went 
for  an  automobile  ride  through  the  Middlesex  County  towns,  stopping  on  the 
return  trip  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  James  J.  Storrow  in  Lincoln. 

In  the  evening  there  was  no  official  function,  the  time  being  set  apart  for 
the  opportunity  of  home,  club  and  other  intimate  gatherings. 

At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Honorable  John  Barrett,  the  Director- 
General  of  the  Pan-American  Union,  gave  a  dimicr  at  the  Copley  Plaza  in  honor 
of  the  delegates  attending  the  Congress  from  the  Latin-American  countries, 
and  Count  Candido  Mendes  de  Almeida,  Editor  of  the  "Jornal  do  Bra.sil" 
of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil.  About  seventy  guests  sat  down  at  round  tables  in 
the  small  ball-room.  Mr.  Barrett  stated  that  he  entertained  these  delegates 
in  his  capacity  as  the  executive  officer  of  the  Pan-American  Union,  an  inter- 
national organization  maintained  at  Washington  l)y  all  the  American  Repub- 
lics for  the  purpose  of  developing  conmierce,  friendship  and  peace  among  them. 

At  the  American  House  there  was  held  an  informal  reunion  and  dinner  by 


28  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

many  of  those  who  made  the  European  tour  arranged  by  the  Boston  Chamber 
of  Commerce  in  1911,  together  with  those  delegates  whom  they  met  on  their 
journey. 

Thursday,  September  26 

The  fifth  and  concluding  official  session  opened  on  Thursday  morning  at 
about  ten  o'clock  and  adjourned  at  twenty  minutes  past  one. 

In  the  evening  the  Congress  concluded  its  official  sessions  at  a  great  dinner 
to  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  all  delegates  to  the  Congress  in  the 
banquet  hall  of  the  Copley  Plaza  Hotel.  Over  one  thousand  men  from  all  parts 
of  the  world  were  seated  at  the  tables  for  the  dinner.  The  reception  started 
at  6.30  P.M.  and  each  delegate  was  given  an  opportunity  to  meet  Honorable 
William  H.  Taft,  President  of  the  United  States.  The  dinner  began  promptly 
at  7.30  P.M.  President  Joseph  B.  Russell^  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  pre- 
sided. The  speakers  were:  On  behalf  of  the  United  States,  Hon.  William  H. 
Taft,-  President  of  the  United  States;  on  behalf  of  the  Commonwealth  of  ]\Ias- 
sachusetts,  Hon.  Eugene  N.  Foss,^  Governor  of  Massachusetts;  and  on  behalf 
of  the  City  of  Boston,  Hon.  John  F.  Fitzgerald,^  IMa^'or  of  Boston.  On  behalf 
of  our  distinguished  guests,  M.  Louis  Canon-Legrand,^  President  of  the  Per- 
manent Committee  and  President  of  the  Fifth  International  Congress  of  Cham- 
bers of  Commerce;  Grand  Uff.  Angelo  Salmoiraghi,^  President  of  the  Milan 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  representing  the  hosts  of  the  Milan  Congress;  and  Mr. 
F.  Faithfull  Begg,'  Chairman  of  the  Council  of  the  London  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, representing  the  hosts  of  the  London  Congress.  This  great  dinner  in 
honor  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  the  delegates,  while  closing 
their  routine  work,  was  the  opening  event  of  the  festivities  on  the  eve  of  the  tour 
of  some  of  the  great  industrial  centers  of  this  country.  It  brought  to  a  magni- 
ficent close  the  business  of  the  International  Congress  when  the  President  of  the 
United  States  congratulated  the  members  upon  their  work  in  the  sessions,  and 
extended  to  the  visitors  a  welcome  to  the  country  at  large  on  behalf  of  the 
people,  the  government  and  the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 

Friday,  September  27 

Before  nine  o'clock  on  Friday  morning  two  hundred  automobiles  belonging 
to  members  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  were  lined  up  in  Copley 
Square.    Filled  with  delegates  and  members  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Com- 

1  For  full  text  of  address  of  President  Russell  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
see  Appendix,  page  291. 

2  For  full  text  of  address  of  President  Taft,  see  Appendix,  page  291. 
'  For  full  text  of  address  of  Governor  Foss,  see  Appendix,  page  293. 

*  For  full  text  of  address  of  Mayor  Fitzgerald,  see  Appendix,  page  295. 
'  For  full  text  and  translation  of  address  of  President  Canon-Legrand  of  the  Inter- 
national Congress,  see  Apjiendix,  page  298. 

'  For  full  text  of  address  of  Grand  UfT.  Salmoiraghi,  see  Appendix,  page  300. 
'  For  full  text  of  address  of  Mr.  Begg,  see  Appendix,  page  301. 


^ 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  29 

merce  they  left  a  few  at  a  time  from  half  past  nine  until  half  past  ten  o'clock. 
A  majority  of  the  delegates  were  taken  down  the  "North  Shore,"  the  seashore 
to  the  north  of  Boston  famous  as  a  sunnner  resort,  where  the  President  of  the 
United  States  and  the  diplomatic  representatives  of  many  countries  have  their 
summer  houses.  Over  five  hundred  went  on  this  trip.  About  half  of  them 
stopped  at  Lynn  and  inspected  the  plant  of  the  General  Electric  Company. 
The  rest  of  the  delegates  continued  on  to  Beverly  to  the  plant  of  the  United 
Shoe  Machinery  Company,  where  they  were  met  by  officials  of  this  organiza- 
tion. The  plant  was  thrown  open  to  the  visitors,  who  traveled  through  the 
long,  finely  lighted  buildings  gazing  with  keen  interest  at  the  operations  of 
manufacturing  shoe  machinery. 

By  the  time  the  plant  had  been  looked  over  thoroughly,  the  delegates  who 
had  stopped  at  Lynn  began  to  arrive.  The  whole  party  was  then  taken  to  the 
countrj'  club,  which  has  been  presented  by  the  United  Shoe  Machinerj'  Com- 
pany to  its  employees.  On  the  athletic  field  a  large  rectangular  tent  had  been 
erected  where  luncheon  was  served  to  the  delegates.  In  the  early  afternoon 
delegates  were  taken  on  an  automobile  tour  along  the  picturesque  "North 
Shore." 

On  Friday  the  delegates  who  did  not  make  the  North  Shore  trip  divided  into 
three  groups  and  went  on  the  following  special  excursions;  One  party,  arranged 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Waltham  Board  of  Trade,  went  to  Waltham  to  in- 
spect the  plant  of  the  Waltham  Watch  Company.  Another  group,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  New  England  Shoe  and  Leather  Association,  went  on  a  long 
automobile  tour  about  the  city,  concluding  with  an  inspection  of  the  Thomas 
G.  Plant  Shoe  Factory,  at  Roxbury.  Another  group,  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Lowell  Board  of  Trade,  made  the  journey  to  inspect  the  Lowell  Textile 
School  and  a  visit  to  some  of  the  important  textile  mills  at  Lowell. 

A  special  trip  was  arranged  for  the  ladies.  They  went  in  automobiles 
through  the  North  Shore  country  to  Cape  Ann,  where  they  were  entertained  in 
Gloucester  at  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Hays  Hammond. 

In  the  evening  various  theater  parties  and  special  entertainments  were  ar- 
ranged. 

Delegates  who  remained  at  the  Copley  Plaza  Hotel  were  given  the  most 
spectacular  entertainment  of  their  visit,  and  in  this  the  general  public  shared. 
At  8.30  P..M.,  with  a  wild  clatter  of  hoofs,  a  clanging  of  bells  and  shrieks  of  siren 
whistles,  apparatus  of  the  Boston  Fire  Department  was  rushed  into  Copley 
Square.  Engines  were  coupled  to  hydrants  and  began  to  pump,  hose  was  run 
through  the  streets,  ladders  were  thrown  against  the  Copley  Plaza  Hotel  and 
buildings  opposite  on  the  Square.  The  water-tower  was  run  up  near  the  Public 
Library.  The  delegates  were  given  a  concrete  illustration  of  how  a  fire  is  handled 
in  Boston,  but  there  was  no  fire. 


30  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS 


Saturday,  September  28 

At  ten  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning  the  delegates  boarded  the  steamer 
"Rose  Standish"  for  an  inspection  of  Boston  harbor.  The  trip  was  first  made 
aromid  the  inner  harbor,  and  the  first  landing  was  made  at  the  terminals  and 
docks  of  the  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad.  Then  the  trip  was  continued  to  the 
outer  harbor  and  the  delegates  were  taken  to  the  yards  of  the  Fore  River  Ship 
Building  Company  at  Quincy,  where  they  were  entertained  at  luncheon.  The 
return  was  made  through  the  outer  harbor  and  then  by  the  main  ship  channel 
to  Rowe's  Wharf. 

Delegates  were  taken  in  electric  cars  from  the  wharf  to  the  Mechanics' 
Building  for  a  private  view  of  the  Boston  1912  Electric  Show  at  four  o'clock. 
This  was  a  really  notable  electric  exposition,  and  the  private  opening  afforded 
an  exceptional  opportunity  to  inspect  the  various  exhibits. 

On  Saturday  afternoon  a  group  of  delegates  were  the  guests  of  the  Harvard 
Athletic  Association  at  the  football  game  in  the  Harvard  Stadium  between 
Harvard  University  and  the  University  of  Maine. 


Sunday,  September  29 

On  Sunday  morning  a  private  opening  of  the  Boston  Art  Museum  at  eleven 
o'clock  was  attended  by  large  groups  of  the  delegates.  In  the  afternoon  at  half 
past  two  the  delegates  left  the  Copley  Plaza  Hotel  in  automobiles  for  a  trip 
through  the  Boston  and  Metropolitan  Park  systems.  The  evening  was  given 
over  to  farewells. 

At  about  half  past  nine  o'clock  on  jMondaj'  morning  about  four  hundred  of 
the  delegates  left  Boston  in  three  special  trains  for  a  tour  of  some  of  the 
principal  commercial  and  industrial  centers  of  the  United  States. 


€o\\v  of  tije  Vinitth  States; 

The  American  tour  of  the  foreign  delegates  at  the  conclusion  of  the  official 
sessions  in  Boston  was  one  of  the  most  notable  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  i)leas- 
ant  features  of  the  Congress.  The  delegates  taking  this  tour  represented 
practically  every  nation  on  the  globe  and  formed  by  far  the  largest  and  most 
cosmopolitan  gathering  of  business  men  of  the  world  ever  taking  a  long  railroad 
journey  together.  The  Committee  on  Tour,  representing  the  Boston  Chaml:)er 
of  Commerce,  arranged  an  itinerary  which  afforded  a  remarkable  opportunity 
for  inspecting  some  of  the  most  important  commercial  and  industrial  enter- 
prises of  the  United  States  and  for  impressing  upon  the  distinguished  guests 
the  efficiency  and  stabilitj*  of  the  enterprises,  as  well  as  affording  a  concrete 
impression  of  the  wonderful  resources  of  this  country. 

Altogether  about  four  hundred  persons  left  Boston  on  the  special  trains, 
and  over  three  hundred  of  this  number  completed  the  journej'.  In  this  number 
were  forty-three  women,  wives  and  daughters  of  some  of  the  delegates. 

The  delegates  visited  ten  of  the  principal  cities  of  the  United  States  and 
traveled  some  2250  miles  in  a  period  of  three  weeks.  Special  trains  left  Boston 
on  Monday  morning,  September  30,  and  arrived  in  New  York  on  Thursday 
morning,  October  17.  The  entertainment  in  New  York  occupied  two  days, 
and  the  party  finally  broke  up  on  Saturday,  October  19,  1912. 

The  Passenger  Department  of  the  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad  arranged  the 
details  relating  to  the  transi)ortation  of  the  whole  journey.  Six  diftVrent  traffic 
lines  were  used,  —  the  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad;  the  New  York  Central  & 
Hudson  River  Railroad;  Michigan  Central  Railroad;  Cleveland,  Cincinnati, 
Chicago  and  St.  Louis  Railway;  the  Pennsylvania  Company  and  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad.  The  first  four  of  these  roads  were  parts  of  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral Lines,  while  the  latter  two  were  parts  of  the  Pemisylvania  system. 

Every  delegate  was  supplied  with  an  itinerary  book,  prepared  and  published 
by  the  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad,  containing  the  time-table  of  the  tour,  the 
names  of  every  person  in  the  party  of  delegates  and  the  names  of  the  Committee 
on  Tour.  This  booklet  also  contained  a  map  of  the  United  States  showing  the 
route  of  the  tour  of  the  party.  The  special  trains  were  placed  at  the  disposal  of 
foreign  delegates  by  the  Boston  Chamljer  of  Commerce.  Each  city  which  was 
visited,  however,  bore  a  share  of  the  expense. 

The  party  left  Boston  at  about  half  past  nine  on  Monday  morning,  Sep- 

31 


32  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

tember  30.  Three  special  trains  were  used  at  the  commencement  of  the  jour- 
ney. The  first  section  had  nine  stateroom  cars  and  a  buffet  hbrary  car.  The 
second  section  had  ten  stateroom  cars  and  a  buffet  Hbrary  car.  The  third  sec- 
tion had  eight  stateroom  cars  and  a  buffet  hbrary  car.  Altogether  there  were 
thirty-two  cars  for  the  coimnencement  of  the  journey.  Inasmuch  as  the  trip 
from  Worcester  to  Buffalo  was  to  be  made  during  the  following  night,  the 
trains  in  which  the  part}''  left  Boston  were  composed  entirely  of  stateroom  and 
drawing-room  cars.  These  cars  constituted  the  most  luxurious  form  of  car  for 
night  travel  now  in  operation  in  the  United  States.  The  trip  from  Boston 
to  Worcester  was  forty-five  miles  in  length  and  occupied  aliout  one  hour's  time. 


WORCESTER 

In  Worcester  the  delegates  were  the  guests  of  the  Worcester  Board  of 
Trade.  The  four  hundred  delegates  entertained  there  were  divided  into  five 
groups  and  taken  about  the  principal  industries  and  points  of  interest  in  the 
city  in  one  hundred  and  fifty  automobiles  contributed  by  citizens.  The  ladies 
were  entertained  by  the  members  of  the  Worcester  Woman's  Club.  Delegates 
in  each  group  were  luncheon  guests  at  one  o'clock  of  the  following:  Hon.  James 
Logan,  General  Manager  of  the  United  States  Envelope  Company;  Mr. 
Matthew  J.  Whittall;  The  Norton  Company;  and  the  Royal  Worcester 
Corset  Company.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  afternoon  tours  the  delegates  were 
guests  at  a  complimentary  banquet  in  the  State  Armory,  under  the  patronage 
of  the  Commonwealth  attended  by  Lieutenant-Governor  Robert  Luce, 
members  of  the  Governor's  Staff  and  Council  and  other  state  and  city  officials, 
concluding  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  the  delegates  resumed  their 
western  journey. 

The  delegates  arrived  in  Buffalo  at  twenty  minutes  past  ten  the  following 
morning.  The  distance  covered  during  the  night  was  453  miles.  In  the  morning 
two  dining  cars  were  attached  to  each  of  the  three  sections,  and  the  delegates 
took  breakfast  on  the  trains  before  their  arrival  in  Buffalo. 


BUFFALO 

In  Buffalo  the  delegates  were  the  guests  of  the  Buffalo  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. The  delegates  were  met  by  a  special  committee  from  this  organization 
and  were  immediately  taken  in  taxical)s  to  their  hotels,  where  rooms  had  been 
previously  assigned  to  them. 

In  tlie  aftcrnot)n  a  large  num])cr  of  the  delegates  visited  some  of  the  great 
manufacturing  plants  for  which  Buffalo  is  noted.  Others  made  a  tour  of  the 
parkways  and  principal  streets  of  Buffalo  ending  at  the  Country  Club,  where  a 
polo  game  was  ])laycd,  the  competing  teams  representing  the  Country  Clubs  of 
Buffalo  and  Toronto.    In  the  evening  a  dimier  was  given  at  the  Lafayette  Hotel 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  33 

by  over  one  hundred  of  Buffalo's  most  distinguished  business  men  and  Chamber 
of  Commerce  members. 

At  the  same  time  the  women  of  the  party  were  entertained  at  dinner  at  the 
Twentieth  Century  Club  for  Women,  followed  by  a  theater  party  at  the  Tcck 
Theatre. 

At  9.20  o'clock  Wednesday  morning,  October  2,  the  guests  left  for  Niagara 
Falls,  where  most  of  the  day  was  spent  in  inspecting  the  hydro-electric  plants, 
the  great  cataracts  and  the  factories.  This  short  trip  ijetween  liufTalo  and  Ni- 
agara Falls  was  made  in  New  York  Central  day  coaches  for  the  purpose  of 
showing  the  delegates  this  form  of  travel  in  the  United  States. 

The  delegates  arrived  at  Niagara  Falls  at  ten  minutes  past  ten  and  went 
immediately  to  inspect  the  plant  of  the  Niagara  Power  Company.  The  entire 
party  then  took  the  trip  of  something  over  twenty  miles  on  the  Niagara  Corge 
Railroad.  This  railroad  affords  the  best  opportunity  of  seeing  the  wonderful 
Niagara  Gorge  just  below  the  great  cataract.  The  cars  on  the  Niagara  Gorge 
Railroad  were  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  delegates  through  the  courtesy  of 
the  Boston  and  Buffalo  Chambers  of  Commerce.  Luncheon  was  taken  at  the 
International  Hotel,  and  the  afternoon  was  devoted  to  further  inspection  of  the 
industrial  plants.  At  five  o'clock  the  delegates  left  Niagara  Falls  for  Detroit. 
The  distance  is  229  miles,  and  the  trains  reached  Detroit  shortly  after  ten  o'clock 
in  the  evening.  This  part  of  the  journey  was  made  in  chair  cars  of  the  Pullman 
Company. 

DETROIT 

In  Detroit  the  delegates  were  the  guests  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce. 
A  committee  of  the  Board  met  the  party  at  Niagara  Falls,  and  en  route  to  De- 
troit the  delegates  were  presented  with  souvenir  booklets  of  Detroit.  Arriving 
in  Detroit  the  visitors  were  met  by  members  of  the  Entertaimnent  Conunittee 
antl  were  taken  in  special  street-cars  to  their  respective  hotels. 

The  following  morning  at  ten  o'clock  the  entire  party  was  taken  in  automo- 
biles to  Grosse  Pointe  and  Belle  Isle.  One  hundred  and  thirty-eight  automobiles 
were  required  to  convey  the  foreign  delegates  and  the  one  hundred  members  of 
the  Board  of  Commerce  Entertainment  Committtee.  From  Belle  Isle  the 
automobile  cavalcade  moved  along  East  Grand  Boulevard  to  the  Packard 
Motor  Company's  plant,  where  a  group  photograph  of  the  delegates  was  made. 
The  Packard  Motor  Company  entertained  the  party  at  a  very  delightful  lun- 
cheon and  concert  by  the  Packard  band.  During  the  luncheon  the  delegates 
were  i)resenteil  with  morocco-bound  booklets  by  the  Packard  Company.  After 
luncheon  the  delegates  were  taken  on  a  trip  of  inspection  through  the  Packard 
factories.  At  half  past  three  the  delegates  entered  their  automobiles  again  and 
were  driven  to  the  Burroughs  Adding  Machine  Company's  plant,  where  they 
made  a  trip  of  inspection  and  received  handsome  souvenir  ash  trays  and  leather 
portfolios.  In  the  evening  a  banquet  in  honor  of  the  delegates  was  held  at  Hotel 
Pontchartrain. 


34  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

On  the  following  morning,  Friday,  October  4,  the  delegates  visited  which- 
ever of  the  manufacturing  plants  they  had  elected  to  visit  on  their  way  from 
Buffalo.  At  noon  the  entire  party  gathered  and  boarded  the  Steamer  "Bri- 
tannia," which  made  a  trip  up  into  Lake  Saint  Clair,  and  then  back  and  downi 
the  Detroit  River,  returning  and  landing  near  the  railroad  station  at  half 
past  three  o'clock.  Luncheon  was  served  on  board.  After  luncheon  the  two 
orchestras  supplied  music  for  those  who  wished  to  dance.  A  splendid  exhibition 
by  the  fire  boat  "James  Battle"  was  given  for  the  entertainment  of  the  guests. 

A  special  Woman's  Committee  arranged  special  entertainment  for  the  ladies 
accompanying  the  delegates.  On  October  3  a  reception  was  given  at  the  Hotel 
Pontchartrain  at  eleven  in  the  morning,  and  following  this  an  automobile  ride, 
stopping  at  the  Detroit  Club  for  luncheon.  At  four  o'clock  there  was  a  recep- 
tion at  the  Twentieth  Century  Club.  There  was  a  special  dinner  at  the  Hotel 
Pontchartrain  followed  by  a  theater  party  at  the  Detroit  Opera  House.  On 
Friday  the  ladies  joined  the  boat  trip  on  the  "Britannia." 

On  disembarking  the  entire  party  at  once  boarded  the  special  chair-car 
trains  of  the  Pullman  Company  and  left  Detroit  for  Chicago  at  four  o'clock  on 
Friday  afternoon,  October  4.  The  distance  from  Detroit  to  Chicago  is  285 
miles,  and  the  special  trains  reached  Chicago  at  about  half  past  ten  on  the 
evening  of  Friday,  October  4. 

CHICAGO 

The  delegates  were  met  at  the  trains  by  the  Chicago  committee  and  es- 
corted to  their  hotels.  In  Chicago  the  delegates  were  the  guests  of  the  Chicago 
Association  of  Commerce  and  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade,  in  co-operation  with 
other  business  associations  and  business  men  of  the  City  of  Chicago. 

The  schedule  of  the  entertainment  in  Chicago  was  as  follows : 

Saturday: 

Visit  to  Board  of  Trade. 
Luncheon  at  Hotel  La  Salle. 
Football  game. 
Banquet  at  Congress  Hotel. 

Sunday: 

Church  services. 

Automobile  tour  of  parks  and  boulevards. 

Dinner,  informal,  at  South  Shore  Country  Club. 

Monday: 

Excursions  to:  Union  Stock- Yards. 
Steel  Works  at  Gary. 
Western  Electric  Company  works. 
Art  Institute,  Public  Library  and  Department  Stores. 
Hull  House. 
Sears,  Roebuck  &  Company  plant. 


CiROUP   OF    DELEGATES  AT    HOME  OF    EXMAYOR   JAMES    LOGAN 

Worcester,  Mass.,  Scptcmhcr  .SO,  1!)1J 


DINNEK    OK    MEMBERS   OF   COSMOPuLn  AN    (  LL  B 
Pittsbiirieh.  Pennsylvania,  Oetobor  11.  1012 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  35 

Luncheon  to  women  of  delegation  by  Chicago  Woman's  Club. 
Afternoon  tea  to  tiie  women  at  store  of  Marshall  Field  &  Companj'. 
Luncheon  by  the  packing  interests  to  250  delegates,   Florentine 

Room,  Congress  Hotel,  before  departure  for  stock-yards. 
Farewell  tliuuer  at  Hotel  Blackstone. 

The  first  day  of  the  stay  in  Chicago  began  with  a  visit  to  the  Board  of  Trade, 
the  world's  largest  grain  and  provision  exchange,  where  opportunity  was  given 
the  visitors  to  view  the  famous  wheat  pit  in  operation.  Following  the  inspec- 
tion of  the  Board  of  Trade  the  delegation  was  entertained  at  luncheon  at 
the  Hotel  La  Salle,  being  welcomed  by  the  Hon.  Carter  H.  Harrison, 
Mayor  of  Chicago,  and  President  Eugene  U.  Klmbark  of  the  Chicago  Asso- 
ciation of  Commerce.  President  C.\non-Legrand  of  the  International  Congress 
replied  for  the  delegation.  After  luncheon  the  party  was  taken  by  automobiles 
to  witness  a  football  game  between  the  Universities  of  Chicago  and  Indiana  at 
the  Chicago  University  football  grounds.  In  the  evening  the  delegates  attended 
a  formal  banquet  given  in  their  honor  by  the  combined  Chicago  organizations 
in  the  Gold  Room,  Congress  Hotel,  and  were  addressed  by  the  Honorable 
Charles  S.  Deneen,  Governor  of  Illinois,  and  others.  M.  Canon-Legrand, 
President  of  the  International  Congress,  replied  for  the  delegation. 

Sunday  morning  the  visitors  were  at  liberty  to  attend  such  religious  ser- 
vices as  they  preferred  and  after  luncheon  were  taken  on  an  automobile  tour  of 
Chicago's  boulevards  and  parks,  a  ride  of  some  thirty-five  miles,  ending  at  the 
South  Shore  Country  Club,  where  an  informal  dinner  was  served. 

On  Monday  the  delegation  divided  itself  into  various  parties,  selecting 
such  industrial  trips,  previously  planned,  as  appealed  to  them,  visits  being  made 
by  special  trains  to  the  Union  Stock- Yards,  the  great  steel  works  at  Gary,  and 
by  automobile  to  the  large  plant  of  the  Western  Electric  Company  at  Haw- 
thorne. Other  parties  visited  the  Art  Institute,  the  Chicago  Public  Library 
and  the  leading  department  stores.  Those  interested  in  settlement  work  were 
given  an  opportunity  to  explore  Hull  House  and  were  informally  entertained 
by  Miss  Jane  Addams  at  afternoon  tea.  The  offices  and  establishment  of  Sears, 
Roebuck  &  Company,  said  to  be  almost  the  la.st  word  in  organization  and  effi- 
ciency, were  visited  by  another  party.  On  Monday  the  women  of  the  delegation 
were  given  a  luncheon  by  the  women  of  Chicago  at  the  Woman's  Clul),  and 
were  later  entertained  by  Marshall  Field  &  Company  at  their  retail  establish- 
ment. Preceding  the  trip  to  the  Stock-Yards,  which  was  taken  by  some  250 
of  the  delegates,  the  packing  interests  entertained  the  party  at  luncheon  in 
the  Florentine  Room,  Congress  Hotel. 

On  Monday  evening  the  three  days'  visit  ended  with  an  informal  dinner  at 
the  Blackstone  Hotel,  which  formally  concluded  Chicago's  duty  as  host,  but 
the  personal  and  informal  hospitality  did  not  finish  until  the  la.st  of  the  delegates' 
-pecial  trains  left  Park  Row  Station  for  Cincinnati  a  little  before  midnight. 

On  leaving  Chicago,  Monday  evening,  the  delegates  took  the  second  and 


36  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

last  night-journey  of  the  entire  tour.  This  night-journey  was  made  in  the  same 
compartment  cars  previously  used  between  Worcester  and  Buffalo.  The  dis- 
tance to  Cincinnati  is  304  miles,  and  the  delegates  arrived  at  half  past  seven 
on  the  morning  of  Tuesday,  October  8. 


CINCINNATI 

In  Cincinnati  the  delegates  were  the  guests  of  the  Joint  Committee  of  the 
Cincinnati  Business  Men's  Club,  the  Cincinnati  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the 
Cincinnati  Commercial  Association.  The  Reception  Committee  met  the  party 
at  the  station  and  escorted  them  to  their  hotels  in  automobiles. 

At  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  delegates  were  met  at  the  Hotel  Sinton 
and  taken  on  an  automobile  ride  about  the  city,  visiting  Eaton  Park,  Walnut 
Hills,  Avondale  and  Clifton.  At  one  o'clock  luncheon  was  served  at  the  Coun- 
try Club.  In  the  afternoon  automobiles  were  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the 
visitors,  and  special  trips  were  taken  to  the  Art  IMuseum,  the  Zoo  and  to  the 
Rookwood  Pottery  and  various  other  factories  and  business  houses.  At  half 
past  six  in  the  evening  a  banquet  was  tendered  all  the  delegates  at  the  Business 
Men's  Club. 

At  half  past  eight  on  Wednesday  morning,  October  9,  the  delegates  were 
escorted  to  the  trains  in  automobiles.  At  nine  o'clock  the  special  trains,  made 
up  of  chair  cars  of  the  Pullman  Company,  left  Cincinnati  for  Dayton.  The 
distance  is  56  miles,  and  the  delegates  arrrived  in  Dayton  at  quarter  of  eleven. 


DAYTON 

In  Dayton  the  delegates  were  the  guests  of  the  Dayton  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  the  National  Cash  Register  Company.  A  reception  committee  from 
the  Dayton  Chamber  of  Commerce  went  to  Cincinnati  to  meet  the  delegates. 
At  the  Union  Station  flags  of  all  nations  were  flying.  Thousands  of  Dayton- 
ians  greeted  the  distinguished  visitors.  Automobiles  were  waiting  to  carry  the 
foreign  friends  over  the  principal  doA\Ti-town  streets,  out  to  the  National  Cash 
Register  Company's  plant.  Across  the  streets,  at  intervals  of  thirty  feet  or 
thereabouts,  streamers  reminded  the  visitors  of  their  native  lands.  The  flags 
of  the  nations  of  the  world  bespoke  Daj'ton's  welcome. 

In  honor  of  the  occasion  the  schools  in  the  down-tovMi  district  were  dis- 
missed, and  the  school  children  lined  the  streets.  In  every  right  hand  was  a 
kerchief  or  an  American  flag. 

The  National  Cash  Register  Company's  buildings  were  bedecked  with  large 
and  handsome  flags.  Every  one  of  the  sixty-three  hundred  employees  stood  with 
flag  in  hand,  and  a  mighty  shout  of  greeting  went  up  when  the  cars  passed.  A 
luncheon  was  served  at  twelve  o'clock  in  the  Officers'  Club  of  the  National  Cash 
Register  Company  on  the  ninth  floor  of  the  Office  Building,  where  six  hundred 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  37 

and  more  dined  together,  and  was  followed  by  an  inspiring  meeting  in  the  Hall 
of  Industrial  Education.  There  was  told  the  story  of  Dayton,  the  story  of  the 
Wright  Brothers  who  conquered  the  air  and  the  story  of  the  National  Cash 
Register  Company.    These  stories  were  painted  by  word  and  picture. 

The  stay  in  Dayton  lasted  six  hours.  At  half  past  three  the  autos  returned 
to  the  station,  and  the  Citizens'  Committee  of  One  Hundred,  the  Bicycle  Club, 
the  members  of  the  Welfare  Department  of  the  National  Cash  Register  Com- 
pany and  the  Conmiittce  from  the  Dayton  Chamber  of  Commerce  were 
present  to  say  farewell.  At  four  o'clock  the  trains  pulled  out  of  Dayton  for 
Pittsburgh.  The  distance  is  261  miles,  and  the  delegates  reached  Pittsburgh 
shortly  after  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening. 


PITTSBURGH 

Several  members  of  the  Pittsburgh  Committee  met  the  trains  on  route  and 
other  members  of  the  Committee  were  at  the  Union  Station  and  escorted  the 
delegates  to  their  hotels  in  special  street-cars.  The  delegates  were  the  guests 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  City  of  Pittsburgh. 

On  Thursday,  October  10,  the  delegates  boarded  the  Steamer  "Sunshine" 
at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  were  taken  on  a  daylight  trip  on  the  rivers 
past  "miles  of  mills,"  landmg  at  Munhall.  The  delegates  were  taken  in  a  special 
train  on  a  tour  of  inspection  of  the  great  steel  mills  at  Homestead.  The  dele- 
gates boarded  the  boat  again  in  front  of  the  works,  and  hmcheon  was  served  on 
the  river.  The  delegates  landed  at  Monongahela  Wharf  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  In  the  evening  a  banquet  was  tendered  the  delegates  at  the  Fort 
Pitt  Hotel,  after  which  special  street-cars  took  the  delegates  to  the  Pitts- 
burgh Exposition  and  concert  by  the  Thomas  Orchestra. 

The  next  day  the  delegates  were  taken  for  an  inspection  of  the  Carnegie 
Institute  Museum,  Art  Galleries,  Sculpture  and  Music  Halls,  and  the  Carnegie 
Institute  of  Technology.  This  was  followed  by  an  inspection  of  the  Heinz 
Pickling  and  Preserving  plant,  where  luncheon  was  served.  An  automobile 
tour  was  taken  through  the  residential  section  of  the  city.  One  hmidred  and 
IBfty  automobiles  were  employed,  escorted  by  special  police  on  motor  cycles. 
In  the  evening  there  was  a  reception  and  dance  at  the  Hotel  Schenley. 

On  Saturday  morning,  October  12,  the  delegates  were  escorted  to  the 
special  chair-car  trains  which  left  Pittsburgh  at  nine  o'clock  for  Washington. 
The  distance  is  369  miles,  and  the  trains  reached  Washington  at  about  half  past 
six  in  the  evening.  This  all  day  trip  on  the  chair  ears  was  a  very  interesting 
feature  of  the  tour  and  was  the  only  considerable  dayligiit  journey.  The  trains 
passed  through  very  diversified  country.  The  splendid  views  in  the  mountainous 
country,  the  trip  around  the  Horse-Shoe  Curve  and  the  brief  stops  at  Altoona, 
Harrisburg  antl  Baltimore  constituted  altogether  a  most  interesting  day. 


38  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 


WASHINGTON 

In  Washington  the  delegates  were  the  guests  of  the  Washington  Chamber 
of  Commerce.  They  were  met  at  the  Union  Station  at  Washington  and  escorted 
to  their  hotels. 

On  Sunday  morning,  October  13,  the  delegates  were  taken  in  sight-seeing 
automobiles  on  a  tour  of  the  city.  In  the  afternoon  the  United  States  Capitol, 
the  Corcoran  Gallery  of  Art,  the  National  Museum  and  the  Library  of  Congress 
were  specially  opened. 

On  Monday  morning  the  White  House  was  opened  for  the  delegates  for  two 
hours.  In  the  afternoon  the  delegates  were  taken  on  a  steamboat  ride  do\\'n  the 
Potomac  to  Mount  Vernon,  the  home  and  tomb  of  George  Washington.  In  the 
evening  there  was  a  reception  in  the  Hall  of  the  Americas  in  the  splendid  building 
of  the  Pan-American  Union. 

On  Tuesday  morning  the  delegates  were  taken  to  the  station  in  auto  cars. 
The  trains  left  Washington  for  Philadelphia  at  half  past  nine.  The  distance 
to  Philadelphia  is  136  miles,  and  the  delegates  arrived  there  about  quarter  of 
one. 

PHILADELPHIA 

In  Philadelphia  the  delegates  were  the  guests  of  the  commercial  organiza- 
tions of  the  city.  The  following  named  commercial  bodies  participated :  Board 
of  Trade,  Bourse,  Builders'  Exchange,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Commercial 
Exchange,  Commercial  IMuseum,  Drug  Exchange,  Grocers  &  Importers'  Ex- 
change, Hardware  Merchants  and  Manufacturers'  Association,  Lumbermen's 
Exchange,  Manufacturers'  Club,  Maritime  Exchange  and  the  Merchants  and 
Manufacturers'  Association. 

The  delegates  walked  from  the  Broad  Street  Station  to  Wanamaker's,  where 
the  whole  party  was  the  guest  of  Mr.  John  Wanamaker  at  luncheon.  In  the 
afternoon  the  party  was  taken  to  the  Commercial  Museum.  In  the  evening 
the  delegates  were  guests  at  various  theater  parties  and  a  large  number  of  them 
inspected  some  of  the  newspaper  printing  machinery  of  the  city. 

On  Wednesday,  October  16,  there  was  a  visit  to  Independence  Hall  after 
which  the  delegates  boarded  a  river  steamer  and  visited  the  Navy  Yard  and  the 
yards  of  the  New  York  Shipbuilding  Company  and  Cramp  &  Sons.  From 
Cramps'  the  party  went  through  Stetson's  and  the  Baldwin  Locomotive  W^orks, 
and  thence  to  the  Philadelphia  Country  Club  where  they  were  guests  at  dinner 
of  Mr.  Frank  D.  La  Lanne. 

On  Thursday  morning,  October  17,  the  special  Pullman  chair-car  trains 
left  the  Broad  Street  Station  at  nine  o'clock  for  New  York  City.  The  distance 
is  92  miles,  and  the  delegates  reached  New  York  City  at  about  eleven  o'clock 
in  the  morning. 


I 


i.ri<;i  soi.AKi 


("HAHLKS    C.    IU}\1' 


'ic^idiit    Italian    ChaiiiluT   of    (■ommiTre    of  I'ns  (Ifiit  Xcw  Kimland  Shoe  and  Lcatlur  As 

Xi'W  Vi)rk  stjciation 


int.    W.    V.    UlLsnN  .JOHN    H.    PATTKKSON 

Director  Philadelphia  Commercial  Museum  President  National  fash  Regi«tfr  Company 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  39 

NEW  YORK   CITY 

The  delegates  were  met  at  the  Pennsylvania  terminal  by  the  New  York 
committees  and  escorted  to  their  hotels.  In  New  York  City  the  delegates  were 
the  guests  of  the  commercial  organizations  of  that  city,  namely: 

The  Chamber  of  Conmierce  of  the  State  of  New  York 

The  Merchants'  Association  of  New  York 

The  New  York  Produce  Exchange 

The  New  York  Stock  Exchange 

The  New  York  Cotton  Exchange 

The  Consolidated  Stock  Exchange  of  New  York 

The  Coffee  Exchange  of  the  City  of  New  York 

The  Italian  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New  York 

The  Swedish  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New  York 

The  Netherlands  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  America 

The  City  Club  of  New  York 

American  Manufacturers'  Export  Association 

Silk  Association  of  America 

The  Pan-American  Society 

At  half  past  two  in  the  afternoon  the  foreign  guests  accompanied  by  the 
Reception  Committee  were  taken  on  an  automobile  tour  of  the  principal  points 
of  interest  in  New  York  City  as  far  north  as  156th  Street  and  Riverside  Drive 
and  as  far  south  as  Washington  Square,  including  a  ride  through  the  historic 
Central  Park,  on  Riverside  Drive,  Fifth  Avenue  and  Broadway.  In  the  even- 
ing the  spectacle  "  Under  Many  Flags  "  at  the  Hippodrome  was  witnessed.  That 
performance  was  chosen  for  the  foreign  visitors  because  its  action  covers  many 
countries.  Automobile  transportation  between  the  hotels  and  the  theater  was 
provided. 

On  Friday  morning,  October  18,  at  half  past  nine,  the  foreign  delegates 
accompanied  by  a  part  of  the  Reception  Committee  were  escorted  to  the  City 
Recreation  Pier,  East  River  and  24th  Street,  on  a  short  but  interesting  ride 
through  the  shopping  section  to  the  East  Side  of  the  city.  At  that  point  the 
Hudson  River  Day  Line  Steamer  "Hendrick  Hud.son"  was  boarded.  On  the 
steamer,  which  is  the  largest  river  craft  in  the  world,  accommodating  as  it  does 
over  .5,oOO  passengers,  opportunity  was  afforded  the  members  of  the  different 
organizations  to  meet  the  delegates.  The  trip  on  the  water  covered  a  sail 
under  the  East  River  bridges,  past  the  Battery,  Governor's  Island  and  the  Bush 
Terminal,  across  New  York  Bay,  in  view  of  the  Staten  Island  shore,  through 
the  Upper  Bay,  in  sight  of  Bedloe's  and  Ellis  Islands  and  the  Statue  of  Liberty, 
thence  up  the  Hudson  (North)  River  to  Spu>'ten  Duyvil,  returning,  with  a 
view  of  both  sides  of  the  river,  to  the  pier  at  the  foot  of  Cedar  Street. 

Escorted  by  the  entire  Reception  Committee,  all  the  delegates  walked  the 
short  distance  to  the  building  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  at  65  Liberty  Street, 


40  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS 

where,  after  an  address  of  welcome  by  Mr.  John  Claflix,  President,  an  elab- 
orate luncheon  was  served.  The  ladies  accompanying  the  foreign  delegates 
were  taken  in  taxicabs  from  the  pier  to  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  Building, 
where  luncheon  was  served  to  them  in  the  committee  rooms.  After  luncheon 
an  automobile  ride  through  the  crowded  down-to\Mi  district  was  taken  to  the 
United  Engineering  Societies'  Building  at  29  West  39th  Street,  in  the  auditorium 
of  which  exercises  were  held  to  express  New  York's  appreciation  of  the  honor 
the  delegates  conferred  upon  the  city  by  visiting  it,  and  to  convey  appropriate 
messages  of  international  good  will  on  the  conclusion  of  the  American  tour  of 
the  foreign  delegates. 

CONCLUSION 

In  the  evening  the  foreign  delegates  tendered  a  dinner  at  Sherrj^'s  to  the 
Boston  Committee  on  Tour.  Practically  the  entire  party  was  in  attendance. 
The  delegates  from  all  lands  vied  with  each  other  in  the  tributes  to  the  Boston 
Chamber  of  Commerce  for  the  splendid  way  in  which  the  Fifth  International 
Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  had  been  conducted.  This  dinner  marked 
the  close  of  the  tour,  although  the  foreign  delegates  were  entertained  informally, 
and  many  of  them  before  leaving  the  country  made  special  trips  to  the  southern 
and  western  parts  of  the  United  States,  which,  on  account  of  the  distance,  it 
had  been  impossible  to  include  in  the  itinerary  of  the  official  tour. 

On  Saturday  evening,  October  19,  1912,  the  Italian  Chamber  of  Commerce 
in  New  York  celebrated  its  Twenty-Fifth  Anniversary  by  tendering  a  dinner  at 
the  Waldorf  Astoria  to  all  the  Italian  delegates  in  attendance  at  the  Fifth  In- 
ternational Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce. 

One  of  the  ver^^  interesting  phases  of  this  tour  was  the  organization  of  a 
Cosmopolitan  Club  composed  of  members  from  practically  every  nation  repre- 
sented at  the  Congress.  The  purpose  of  this  club  is  to  encourage  the  largest 
possible  attendance  at  the  biennial  sessions  of  the  International  Congresses  of 
Chambers  of  Commerce,  and  to  promote  and  encourage  international  good 
fellowship  and  co-operation  among  its  members. 


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roPLKY  PLAZA   HOTEL,    COPLEY    .SQUARE,    BOSTON 

Hp:iflqti:irtors  of  Fifth  Iiitoniatioiial  Consross 


JiOSToX    I'lHLIC    LIHHAKV,    COPLEY    S(HARE 


Boston,  where  the  Fifth  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce 
held  its  sessions,  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  important  cities  and  has  always 
been  one  of  the  chief  commercial,  industrial  and  financial  centers  in  the 
United  States  of  America. 

Metropolitan  Boston,  the  great  urban  community  at  the  head  of  Massa- 
chusetts Bay,  has  over  1,500,000  inhabitants,  and  in  population  ranks  as  the 
fourth  city  of  the  United  States  and  the  tenth  city  of  the  world. 

Boston  is  the  capital  city  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  one  of  the  thirteen 
colonies  which  originally  formed  the  Republic.  It  is  the  principal  seaport  and 
metropolis  of  the  section  known  as  "New  England,"  which  consists  of  a  compact 
group  of  six  states  forming  the  northeastern  part  of  the  country. 

Boston  is  situated  on  that  portion  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  known  as  Massa- 
chusetts Bay.  The  inner  city  —  the  municipality  officially  named  "Boston" 
—  occupies  the  peninsula  which  was  first  settled,  and  a  portion  of  the  land  ad- 
joining, which  has  been  united  with  the  older  city  at  different  periods  by  the 
annexation  of  other  communities.  Municipal  Boston  has  a  population  of  about 
700,000  people.  Metropolitan  Boston,  the  real  city,  with  its  population  in  1909 
of  1,520,470,  comprises  forty  municipalities,  which  are  included  in  a  circle  ex- 
tending back  from  the  shore  line  within  a  radius  of  about  twelve  miles. 

The  relations  of  this  metropolis  to  the  city  itself  are,  except  in  political  re- 
spects, like  those  of  the  British  metropolis  to  the  old  city  of  London.  Socially, 
commercially  and  industrially,  the  interests  of  the  forty  communities  are 
closely  interwoven.  Almost  the  entire  district  is  thickly  populated,  and  the 
lines  of  division  between  the  communities  are  merely  arbitrary.  There  are 
metropolitan  park,  water  and  sewerage  systems  under  unified  control,  serving 
most  of  these  cities  and  to\vns.  They  all  are  included  in  one  postal  district, 
and  most  of  them  are  served  by  one  system  of  electric  street  railway  transpor- 
tation.   The  essential  unity  of  the  entire  district  is  well  recognized. 


COMMERCE   AND    HARBOR 

Boston  is  a  world  port  ranking  in  the  United  States  second  only  to  New 
York  in  its  imports.  With  the  diminishing  export  of  foodstuffs  from  the 
United  States  the  exports  of  Boston  have  decreased,  with  the  result  that  in  the 
total  volume  of  all  foreign  trade  Boston  is  the  fourth  port  of  the  country. 

41 


42  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Boston  is  one  hundred  ninety-four  miles  nearer  Europe  than  any  other  large 
American  port,  and  it  is  nearer  to  all  the  east  coast  of  South  America  south  of 
the  Amazon,  including  such  ports  as  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Montevideo  and  Buenos 
Aires,  than  is  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Galveston  or  any  other  North  American 
port. 

Boston  has  one  of  the  finest  natural  harbors  in  the  world,  with  broad  road- 
steads sheltered  from  rough  water  by  numerous  islands.  It  has  wide,  safe  ap- 
proaches from  the  ocean,  and  Boston  Light,  the  outer  edge  of  the  harbor,  is 
less  than  an  hour's  run  from  the  steamship  piers.  The  chaimels  from  the  open 
sea  to  the  piers  are  dredged  to  a  depth  of  thirty-five  feet  at  low  water,  and  in 
the  near  future  will  be  dredged  to  a  depth  of  forty  feet.  The  three  outer  chan- 
nels converge  into  a  main  ship  channel  which  communicates  with  all  parts  of 
the  inner  harbor. 

Two  years  ago  the  legislature  created  a  board  of  five  Port  Directors  ap- 
pointed by  the  State  and  city  and  having  jurisdiction  over  Boston  harbor.  In 
the  initial  law  creating  the  Board  it  was  given  an  appropriation  of  S9,000,000 
to  be  expended  in  building  docks  and  other  water-front  improvements.  This 
Board  is  now  actively  engaged  in  constructing  improvements  at  various  parts 
of  the  harbor  and  in  making  plans  for  future  improvements.  Commonwealth 
Pier,  1,200  feet  long  and  400  feet  wide,  with  a  depth  alongside  of  40  feet 
at  mean  low  water,  has  already  been  equipped  and  opened  at  an  expense  of 
S2,500,000.  This  pier  is  one  of  the  most  up-to-date  and  best  equipped  piers 
in  America,  with  accommodations  for  the  largest  liners  now  afloat.  The  Port 
Directors  have  completed  plans  for  a  huge  dry-dock,  to  be  constructed  at  an 
expense  of  $3,000,000  and  capable  of  accommodating  any  steamship  afloat  or 
yet  projected.  For  the  accommodation  of  the  great  fishing  fleet  a  new  pier 
1,200  feet  long  and  300  feet  wide  has  been  recently  completed. 

Previous  to  the  creation  of  the  Board  of  Port  Directors,  Boston  had  very 
excellent  docks  and  harbor  accommodations  privateh'  owned.  The  present 
terminal  of  the  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad  Company  at  East  Boston  includes 
several  of  the  finest  piers  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  a  grain  elevator  with  a  capacity 
of  one  million  bushels,  direct  track  connections  and  modern  devices  for  loading 
and  unloading  vessels  and  cars.  The  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad  ovntis  the  Hoosac 
and  Mystic  docks  at  Charlestown  with  some  twelve  piers  capable  of  accommo- 
dating ocean  liners.  The  grain  elevator  at  Hoosac  docks  has  a  capacity  of  one 
million  bushels,  while  that  at  the  Mystic  docks  has  a  capacity  of  half  a  million 
bushels.  The  New  Haven  Railroad  ownis  three  piers  at  South  Boston.  At 
present  in  Boston  there  is  a  lineal  frontage  of  over  forty  miles  of  berth  space, 
of  which  over  six  miles  front  on  a  depth  of  at  lea.'^t  thirty  feet  at  low  water. 

Many  transatlantic  and  coastwise  steamship  lines  have  terminals  at  Boston. 
In  addition  to  the  numerous  steamship  lines  which  give  frequent  regular  direct 
connection  \Nnth  all  the  important  coast  cities  of  the  Atlantic,  both  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  there  are  some  twenty-four  foreign  lines  which  have 
regular  sailings  to  or  from  the  port  of  Boston.     These  steamship  lines  main- 


i 


«i 


STKAMSFIII'    DOCKS    AT    EAST    BOSTON 


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JISHIX(;    FLKKT    AT    T    \\HAI{r,    ]i08T()X 


STATI-:    HATHHOUSE  AT    UKVKRE 
111  Mi'tropolitan  Boston 


^      # 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  43 

tain  regular  sailings  to  and  from  English,  North  European,  Mediterranean, 
West  Indian,  South  American  and  Far  Eastern  ports.  In  the  past  year  or 
two  the  facilities  for  transatlantic  passenger  travel  between  Boston  and  Europe 
have  been  greatly  improved,  and  the  number  of  transatlantic  passengers  sail- 
ing from  and  to  Boston  has  increased  at  a  very  rapid  rate. 

The  imports  of  Boston  are  principally  raw  materials  for  the  industries  of 
the  New  England  states.  The  principal  commodities  imported  are  wool,  cotton, 
hides  and  skins,  burlaps,  fibers  and  vegetable  grasses,  sugar  and  machinery. 
The  chief  articles  of  export  from  Boston  are  meat,  breadstuffs  and  grain,  cot- 
ton, machinery,  steel,  boots  and  shoes  and  leather,  and  miscellaneous  manu- 
factured products. 

For  the  year  ending  June  30,  1912,  the  value  of  the  foreign  trade  of  Boston 
was  S234,918,975,  of  which  $153,671,165  were  imports  and  $81,247,810  were 
exports. 

TRANSPORTATION 

Boston  is  the  terminal  of  three  great  railroad  systems.  All  parts  of  New- 
England  are  closely  connected  with  Boston  by  highly  developed  transportation 
facilities.  A  complex  network  of  steam  railroads,  electric  railways,  steamboat 
lines  and  excellent  highways  center  about  Boston  as  a  metropolis.  As  in  almost 
all  parts  of  the  country,  the  transportation  faciUties  by  rail  and  water  are  pri- 
vately owned.  The  important  highways  are  controlled  by  the  state  and  local 
roads  by  the  communities  through  which  they  run. 

The  local  transportation  system  communicating  with  the  different  parts  of 
Metropolitan  Boston  is  the  finest  in  America,  with  inter-connecting  subway, 
surface  and  elevated  lines.  Three  subways  and  one  tuimel  under  the  harbor 
are  now  in  operation  and  three  new  subways  are  under  construction. 

INDUSTRIES 

Boston  is  the  great  center  of  the  textile  industry  in  the  United  States.  It 
is  the  greatest  wool  market  in  the  Western  Hemisphere.  It  is  the  unquestioned 
leader  in  the  production  of  boots,  shoes  and  leather.  It  is  the  leading  center 
for  shoe  and  textile  machinery.  It  is  most  important  in  the  production  of  elec- 
trical machinery  and  foundry  and  machine-shop  products.  It  has  large  plants 
for  the  production  of  watches,  confectionery,  cocoa,  chocolates,  rubber  and 
elastic  goods.  It  has  important  printing,  publishing,  electrical,  gas,  clothing 
and  packing  establishments.  It  has  large  establishments  for  the  refining  of 
sugar  and  molasses  and  for  slaughtering  and  meat  packing.  It  is  the  greatest 
fresh-fish  market  in  the  Western  Hemisphere  and  with  one  exception  in  the 
world.  It  has  great  ship-building  works  where  modern  battleships  and  other 
vessels  are  constantly  under  construction.  In  1911  the  value  of  manufactured 
products  of  Metropolitan  Boston  reached  the  total  of  $.302,527,771. 

And  this  is  only  a  small  part  of  the  story.    For  a  correct  understanding  of 


44  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Boston  as  an  industrial  center  it  must  also  be  remembered  that  it  is  the  me- 
tropolis and  chief  port  of  New  England.  Many  of  the  great  industrial  plants  of 
New  England  have  their  headquarters  and  transact  their  principal  business  in 
Boston,  even  though  the  manufacturing  plants  themselves  are  located  in  other 
parts  of  New  England.  New  England  is  more  intensely  developed  as  an  indus- 
trial region  than  any  other  part  of  America.  With  one-eleventh  of  the  popula- 
tion of  the  country,  it  turns  out  one-seventh  of  the  manufactured  products. 
Most  of  its  manufactures  are  high-grade  staple  articles  which  are  needed  in 
increasing  quantities  in  South  American  countries  and  in  the  Far  East. 
These  industries  also  use  large  quantities  of  raw  materials  which  can  be  ad- 
vantageously purchased  from  those  countries. 

The  textile  industries  are  the  most  important  of  the  industries  of  New  Eng- 
land. The  leadership  of  the  section  in  these  industries  is  unquestioned.  More 
than  $650,000,000  is  invested  in  textile  mills  which  make  a  variety  of  cotton, 
woolen,  worsted,  felt,  linen,  silk,  knit  goods,  cordage  and  twine  and  many  other 
woven  products.  Many  of  the  greatest  mills  are  within  a  few  hours'  travel  of 
Boston  and  have  their  oflBces  in  the  city.  The  value  of  the  textile  products 
of  the  mills  of  New  England  annually  exceeds  8000,000,000. 

The  making  of  boots  and  shoes  by  machinery  and  the  manufacture  of  the 
machines  to  make  the  shoes  originated  in  New  England.  In  1909,  136,962,674 
pairs  of  boots  and  shoes,  with  a  value  of  $300,000,000  were  made  in  this  sec- 
tion. There  are  1,000  factories  engaged  in  various  branches  of  this  industry, 
located  in  more  than  one  hundred  different  cities  and  towns.  The  great  bulk 
of  the  product,  in  fact  practically  all,  comes  from  factories  located  within  fifty 
miles  of  Boston.  Through  the  United  Shoe  Alachincry  Company,  with  a  great 
factory  at  Beverly,  this  section  leads  the  world  in  the  manufacture  of  the 
machines  used  in  making  shoes. 

New  England  has  long  been  famous  for  its  machinery.  There  is  hardl}'  an 
industry  dependent  upon  machinery  in  which  will  not  be  found  some  machines 
invented  in  New  England.  This  section  leads  the  United  States  in  the  making 
of  foundry  and  machine-shop  products.  The  total  value  of  its  foundry  and 
machine-shop  products  is  about  8200,000,000  annually. 

The  supremacy  of  New  England  in  the  production  of  fine  writing  paper 
made  chiefly  from  rags  is  well  known.  Holyoke,  Massachusetts,  alone  makes 
over  one-half  the  nation's  supply  of  good  writing  paper.  The  value  of  the  paper 
made  in  New  England  is  about  8100,000,000  annually. 

Jewelry  is  made  extensively  in  a  small  area  at  the  border  between  Massa- 
chusetts and  Rhode  Island.  The  value  of  the  jewelry  produced  in  this  district 
reaches  835,000,000  a  year. 

Besides  the  industries  noted  above.  New  England  leads  in  the  production 
of  wire  goods,  cutlery,  firearms,  ammunition,  brass  and  bronze  products,  rub- 
ber goods,  marble,  clocks,  watches,  ])lated  ware,  rolled  copper,  silverware  and 
silk  goods.  It  has  an  important  place  in  many  other  indu-stries  and  leads  in 
the  production  of  many  other  commodities,  almost  all  of  high  grade. 


I'l.AXl     i»l     Tin:    WALTIIAM    WATCH    COMPANY 

III   Mi'trnpolitail    l{n>toli 


PLANT    or    THE    THOMAS    (..    PLANT    SHOE    COMPANV.    BOSTON' 


"■•^'tmfSJ^it^rt-  .  ■  "•-"».- 


i;i!Hiiiii 


i'i,.\.\T  OF    iiii;  r\rn:i)  shoe  maciiixkkv  co.mi'a.w 


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iiiiSSisiiSS 


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.-xi* 


<'i'lil/riiil:l  hj  .1 .  H.  Smith 


\\()oi)  \\<)i{sri:i)  Mii.i.sAT  i.A\\in:.\ci-; 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  45 

There  are  25,351  industrial  establishments  in  New  England,  giving  employ- 
ment to  1,212,158  wage  earners.  The  capital  invested  in  these  industries  is 
$2,503,854,000.  There  are  paid  to  the  employees  each  year  §669,915,000  in 
salaries  and  wages.  The  value  of  the  goods  manufactured  in  New  England 
reaches  the  enormous  annual  total  of  $2,670,065,000. 

FINANCIAL    CENTER 

Boston  is  an  important  financial  center.  Its  per  capita  wealth  is  greater 
than  any  other  city  of  the  United  States.  It  is  said  to  be,  next  to  New  York, 
the  richest  trade  center  of  the  country.  One-twentieth  of  the  savings  of  the 
American  people  is  in  the  savings  banks  of  Boston.  It  has  a  stock  exchange 
which  is  the  center  for  trade  in  the  shares  of  copper  mines,  and  on  which  large 
transactions  of  all  kinds  are  affected.  In  1911  there  was  on  deposit  in  its  banks 
and  trust  companies  about  $500,000,000.  Its  clearing-house  exchanges  in  1911 
reached  the  enormous  total  of  $8,339,718,582.  Boston  capital  has  built  many 
of  the  railroads  of  the  western  United  States,  and  to-day  is  heavily  invested  in 
mining  and  other  developments.  The  total  valuation  of  the  metropolitan  city, 
including  forty  communities,  is  $2,279,606,065. 


EDUCATION 

Boston  is  now,  as  it  always  has  been,  recognized  as  the  leading  center  of 
education  in  America.  Harvard  University  is  one  of  the  oldest  American  uni- 
versities and  is  recognized  as  the  leading  educational  institution  of  the  United 
States.  It  is  principally  located  in  Cambridge,  just  across  the  Charles  River 
from  Municipal  Boston.  Its  grounds  are  extensive  and  its  buildings  numerous 
and  interesting.  They  include  several  museums  which  contain  notable  collec- 
tions, and  the  Stadium,  an  enormous  concrete  structure  built  on  the  plan  of 
the  Colosseum  at  Rome,  where  intercollegiate  contests  are  held.  The  univer- 
sity has  6,000  students,  including  those  in  summer-school  and  extension  courses, 
and  in  Radcliffe,  which  is  the  women's  college  allied  with  Harvard.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  college  and  Radcliffe,  the  university  has  medical  and  law  schools, 
each  widely  kno^^'n;  graduate  schools  of  applied  science,  arts  and  sciences  and 
business  administration;  divinity  and  dental  schools,  an  arboretum,  botanic 
garden  and  observatory.  The  magnificent  new  buildings  of  the  medical  school 
are  near  the  Fenway,  within  Mmiicipal  Boston. 

Another  educational  institution  known  throughout  the  world  is  the  Massa- 
chusetts Institute  of  Technology,  the  leading  American  school  of  applied  sci- 
ences, founded  in  1861.  Its  buildings  are  at  present  in  the  center  of  the  city, 
but  it  has  recently  received  donations  of  several  millions  of  dollars  with  which 
to  build  on  a  new  site  on  the  bank  of  the  Charles  River  Basin.  The  Institute 
receives  an  annual  grant  from  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts.  The 
total  number  of  students  is  1,500,  representing  30  nations. 


46  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

The  best  known  Boston  college  for  women  is  Wellesley  College,  in  the  sub- 
urb of  that  name,  where  it  occupies  300  acres.  This  institution,  the  teaching 
and  administrative  staff  of  which  consists  almost  entirely  of  women,  has  1,500 
students.  Simmons  College,  in  Boston  proper,  and  Jackson  College  —  until 
recently  a  part  of  Tufts  College  for  men  —  in  Medford,  another  suburb,  are 
the  other  best  kno'WTi  women's  institutions. 

Tufts  College,  in  addition  to  its  academic  department  in  Medford,  has  well- 
known  medical  and  dental  schools  located  in  Boston  proper. 

Boston  University  has  an  excellent  academic  department  as  well  as  schools 
of  law,  medicine  and  divinity,  all  located  in  various  parts  of  Municipal  Boston. 

Boston  College,  a  Roman  Catholic  institution,  is  located  at  Newton,  another 
suburb. 

Education  preparatory  for  college  is  carried  on  chiefly  in  public  schools 
supported  by  taxation,  although  there  are  in  Boston  a  considerable  number  of 
privately  owned  academies.  In  Massachusetts  attendance  at  school  is  com- 
pulsory for  all  children  between  the  ages  of  seven  and  fourteen  years. 

The  public  school  system  of  Boston  is  a  model  for  other  American  cities. 
The  schools  are  administered  by  an  unpaid,  elected  committee  of  five  citizens. 
The  system  includes  —  in  addition  to  the  usual  day  classes  for  both  sexes  —  in- 
dustrial, commercial,  art,  normal,  salesmanship  and  other  vocational  courses, 
many  of  them  given  in  the  evening  in  order  that  persons  who  have  a  regular 
daily  occupation  may  attend. 

Trade  or  technical  schools,  endowed  by  private  philanthropy,  are  abundant. 
The  Wentworth  Institute,  Franklin  Union,  Women's  Educational  and  Indus- 
trial Union,  the  North  End  Union,  Wells  Memorial  Institute  and  Massachu- 
setts Charitable  Mechanics  Association  are  a  few  of  these.  The  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  has  over  1,900  students.  In  some  manufacturing  estab- 
lishments, notably  the  General  Electric  Company  at  Lynn,  educational  courses 
are  maintained  for  the  employees. 


ARTS,  LETTERS  AND  MUSIC 

Boston  was  the  birthplace  of  American  letters,  and  is  to-day  a  notable 
center  of  literature,  art  and  music.  Boston  was  the  home  of  the  well-kno^^^l 
group  of  nineteenth-century  authors,  poets  and  thinkers  which  included  Emer- 
son, Longfellow,  Lowell,  Holmes,  Hawthorne,  Whitticr,  Thoreau  and  others. 
Several  national  publications  of  importance  are  issued  in  the  city,  and  among 
its  residents  are  several  of  the  best  known  American  writers  of  to-daJ^ 

The  first  public  library  in  America  was  started  in  Boston.  Its  collection 
now  contains  over  one  million  volumes,  and  circulates  annually  1,650,000 
volumes  to  the  homes  of  citizens.  The  main  public  library  building  on  Copley 
Square  is  famous  throughout  the  United  States.  On  its  walls  are  several  nota- 
ble series  of  mural  paintings. 

Boston  has  at  present  the  best  known  American  group  of  artists  and  sculp- 


Vupyriaht  by  Oadmun  Co. 
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CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  47 

tors  now  producing.  Its  new  Museum  of  Fine  Arts  is  a  very  large  and  beautiful 
structure,  and  contains  a  number  of  excellent  collections  and  individual  works 
of  great  importance.  The  Museum  maintains  a  school  which  gives  instruction 
in  drawing,  painting,  modeling  and  design. 

The  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra  gives  frequent  public  concerts  during  the 
winter  in  its  great  music  hall,  and  travels  extensively  through  the  United  States. 
The  chief  musical  school  of  Boston  is  the  New  England  Conservator}'  of  Music. 

The  Boston  Opera  Company  and  its  beautiful  Opera  House  are  only  a  few 
years  old,  but  they  already  rank  among  the  best  in  America. 


PARKS  AND   RECREATION 

Boston  has  many  magnificent  buildings,  avenues  and  parks,  with  an  abun- 
dance of  striking  natural  scenery.  There  are  seashores,  rivers,  forests  and  hills 
near  at  hand  while  not  far  distant  lie  the  principal  summer  resorts  of  America. 

The  park  system  of  Boston  is  of  wide  extent  and  exceptional  beauty.  The 
city  and  metropolitan  park  systems  taken  together  cover  over  12,000  acres. 
Beginning  at  the  center  of  the  city  in  the  Common  and  the  beautiful  Public 
Gardens,  they  extend  in  both  directions  along  the  shore  of  the  Atlantic  and 
back  along  the  rivers  and  ponds  for  many  miles.  The  boulevards  comiect  the 
beaches  on  the  north  and  south  with  each  other  and  with  the  great  inland 
reservations.  Near  the  center  of  the  city  is  a  magnificent  fresh  water  basin 
recently  created  by  damming  the  Charles  River.  Several  of  the  ocean  beaches 
lie  within  one  hour's  ride  of  the  city. 

At  the  principal  beaches  are  great  public  bathhouses.  Harbor  trips  and 
steamer  excursions  to  all  parts  of  the  bay  constitute  a  popular  summer  recrea- 
tion. 

A  characteristic  American  sport  is  baseball,  and  from  spring  to  fall  inter- 
city contests  between  professional  teams  are  held  daily.  Boston  has  a  team  in 
each  of  the  two  principal  baseball  leagues.  As  many  as  35,000  people  have 
attended  games  played  by  one  of  these  teams  in  Boston. 

American  football  is  the  chief  sport  in  the  autumn  months.  Football,  un- 
like baseball,  is  always  played  by  amateur  teams.  The  i)rincii)al  contests  are 
those  between  Harvard  and  the  other  large  colleges,  which  are  played  in  the 
Stadium,  where  40,000  spectators  can  be  seated. 


HISTORICAL 

The  Pilgrims  who  came  from  England  seeking  religious  freedom  landed  at 
Plymouth,  a  coast  to\Mi  near  Boston  to  the  south.  Boston  itself  was  settled  in 
1630  by  John  Winthrop  and  a  party  of  English  colonists  from  Salem. 

As  the  scene  of  many  of  the  important  events  in  the  historj-  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  birthplace  or  home  of  many  of  the  men  who  achieved  fame  in 


48  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

the  early  days  of  the  nation,  Boston  has  much  of  patriotic  interest  to  Americans. 
It  is  amiually  visited  by  thousands  of  people  for  this  reason  alone. 

It  was  at  Boston  that  the  men  who  conceived  the  idea  of  American  liberty 
and  who  controlled  the  early  destinies  of  the  Republic  were  born  and  educated. 
The  first  battle  of  the  Revolution  was  fought  at  Lexington,  now  a  suburb, 
April  19,  1775.  The  first  Provincial  Congress  met  in  Concord  in  1774.  Bunker 
Hill,  at  Charlestown,  where  the  second  battle  was  fought  on  June  17,  1775,  is 
marked  by  a  tall  shaft.  Both  April  19  and  June  17  are  annually  observed 
as  holidays.  Two  of  the  earliest  Presidents  of  the  United  States,  John  Adams, 
and  John  Quincy  Adams,  were  born  in  Quincy,  another  suburb. 

The  next  period  during  which  the  city  played  a  significant  part  in  history 
began  in  1831  when  the  movement  for  the  abolition  of  slavery  throughout  the 
country  was  begun  in  Boston  by  William  Lloyd  Garrison  and  his  followers. 
The  national  revolt  against  the  slave-traffic,  which  led  up  to  the  Civil  War  in 
1861,  made  its  headquarters  in  Boston. 

Boston  has  been  during  the  greater  part  of  the  last  century  the  head- 
quarters of  the  American  Peace  Society,  as  it  is  now  the  headquarters  of  its 
Massachusetts  branch ;  it  is  also  the  headquarters  of  the  World  Peace  Founda- 
tion. It  has  been  one  of  the  great  centers  of  the  college  settlement  move- 
ment in  which  South  End  House  has  had  a  most  important  place.  It  has 
taken  the  lead  in  a  multitude  of  significant  educational  and  philanthropic 
movements. 


BOSTON   CHAMBER   OF   COMMERCE 

The  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  with  nearly  5,000  members,  is  the 
largest  commercial  organization  in  America.  It  is  chartered  to  promote  the 
commerce,  industrj^  and  public  interests  of  Boston  and  New  England.  Through 
its  numerous  committees  of  public-spirited  business  men,  it  participates  in  all 
that  makes  for  the  welfare  of  the  community.  Each  member  paj's  §25  a  year 
toward  the  general  expenses  of  the  organization,  which  include  the  emplo\inent 
of  a  large  staff  of  paid  secretaries  and  experts.  The  members  are  from  all  voca- 
tions. Although  the  membership  is  chiefly  merchants  and  manufacturers,  it 
also  includes  many  lawyers,  engineers,  accountants,  architects,  doctors  and 
others.  The  institution  operates  under  a  charter  granted  by  the  Commonwealth 
of  Massachusetts.  It  has  a  president,  two  vice-presidents  and  a  board  of 
twenty-five  directors,  all  serving  without  compensation.  There  are  also  a  large 
number  of  small  standing  committees.  The  opinions  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of 
Commerce  are  carefully  worked  out  and  have  much  weight  with  public  and 
legislative  bodies.  Its  reports  and  investigations  are  valuable,  and  the  direct 
service  rendered  to  its  members  considerable.  It  maintains  an  exchange  where 
the  grain  business  of  New  England  is  conducted,  a  marine  department  which 
sends  out  news  of  the  movement  of  shipping,  a  statistical  department  which 
collates  and  classifies  general  conmiercial  statistics,  a  bureau  of  information 


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CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  49 

and  investigation,  an  expert  transportation  department,  an  industrial  bureau 
and  a  system  for  the  arbitration  of  business  disputes. 

The  influence  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  had  a  large  part  in 
bringing  about  the  formation  of  the  new  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  United 
States,  a  union  of  the  commercial  bodies  in  all  parts  of  the  country. 

The  Boston  Chamber  of  Conmierce  took  the  lead  in  extending  the  invita- 
tions which  resulted  in  the  Fifth  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Com- 
merce being  held  at  Boston  in  1912. 


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WORCESTER 

Worcester,  Massachusetts,  the  first  city  visited  by  the  foreign  delegates 
on  the  American  tour,  is  the  largest  manufacturing  city  in  the  United  States 
not  on  a  waterway.  It  is  a  city  of  diversified  industries  employing  34,000 
skilled  mechanics  and  laborers  and  more  than  3,200  salaried  employees.  It  has 
a  commercial  history  dating  back  to  1800.  It  has  always  been  without  serious 
labor  strikes  or  trouble.  It  has  become  by  steady  progress  an  inland  city  of 
160,120  people  (municipal  census  for  1912)  and  is  growing  at  the  rate  of  7,500 
a  year. 

This  city  is  one  of  the  machine  tool  centers  of  the  United  States.  Here  is 
located  one  of  the  principal  plants  of  the  American  Steel  &  Wire  Company, 
employing  some  7,500  workers.  It  is  the  home  of  one  of  the  largest  manufac- 
turers of  abrasives  and  grinding  wheels  in  the  world  —  The  Norton  Company. 
It  is  an  important  center  in  the  corset  industry,  having  located  here  the  plant 
of  the  Royal  Worcester  Corset  Company,  where  employees  work  under  such 
excellent  conditions  that  the  plant  has  an  international  reputation.  It  is  a 
factor  in  the  envelope  industry  —  the  United  States  Envelope  Company  alone 
having  three  plants  in  this  city.  It  houses  a  great  leather-belting  plant  —  the 
Graton  «fc  Knight  Manufacturing  Company.  The  famous  Whittall  rugs  and 
carpets  are  manufactured  here.  The  Wyman  &  Gordon  Company  of  this  city 
drop-forge  more  than  75  per  cent  of  all  the  automobile  crank-shafts  used  in  the 
automobile  industry  of  this  country.  The  Crompton  6z  Knowles  Loom  Works 
turn  out  everj'  year  the  greatest  variety  of  weaving  machinery  with  a  loom  for 
almost  every  fabric.  If  space  permitted,  hundreds  of  other  industrial  facts  to 
show  the  pre-eminence  of  this  city  might  be  written,  but  suffice  it  to  say  that 
this  city  manufactures  almost  everything  —  from  a  button  to  a  passenger 
coach.  Other  cities  specialize  in  a  few  products.  Worcester  has  legion,  a  fact 
which  has  made  possible  its  uninterrupted  industrial  development  m  the  last 
century. 

In  art,  science  and  education,  this  city  has  an  important  place.  It  is  the 
seat  of  Clark  University,  Worcester  Polytechnic  Institute,  Holy  Cross  College 
and  lesser  institutions  of  learning,  and  is  the  home  of  the  third  heaviest  endowed 
art  museum  in  the  United  States. 

51 


52  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

BUFFALO 

Buffalo,  the  Queen  City  of  the  Lakes,  occupies  an  enviable  position  indus- 
trially and  commercially.  Situated  at  the  easterly  end  of  Lake  Erie,  and  at 
the  western  terminus  of  the  new  State  Barge  Canal,  which  comiects  the  Great 
Lakes  with  the  Atlantic  Coast,  it  is  like  an  hour-glass  through  which  flow  un- 
ceasingly the  products  of  the  soil  from  the  west,  and  the  finished  manufactured 
products  from  the  east.  Seventeen  railroad  lines  and  ten  steamship  lines  make 
it  one  of  the  world's  greatest  points  of  transfer. 

Buffalo's  strategic  position  with  regard  to  transportation  gives  it  immense 
advantage  in  assembling  raw  material  and  shipping  finished  products.  Un- 
limited electric  power  from  Niagara  Falls,  together  with  cheap  natural  gas,  coal, 
iron  and  steel,  lumber  and  water,  gives  to  Buffalo  all  the  essentials  of  low- 
cost  manufacturing.  Its  products  vary  greatly,  taking  in  over  60  per  cent 
of  the  various  kinds  of  manufactures  recognized  by  the  Federal  Census 
Bureau  and  providing  emplojTiient  for  skilled  and  unskilled  labor  of  many 
kinds. 

The  steel  industry  which  leads  in  value  of  products  represents  only  10  per 
cent  of  the  total.  Other  important  industries  are  slaughtering  and  meat  pack- 
ing; foundry  and  machine-shop  work;  flour  and  grist  milling;  automobiles;  soap; 
printing  and  publishing;  and  malt. 

Although  commercial  interests  emphasize  Buffalo's  advantages  as  a  com- 
mercial center,  there  are  many  who  urge  Buffalo's  claim  to  be  one  of  the  most 
beautiful,  cleanest  and  most  healthful  of  the  larger  cities  of  the  countr3\  There 
are  eight  large  parks  containing  more  than  1,000  acres,  connected  by  over 
21  miles  of  shaded  boulevard.  Delaware  Avenue  is  considered  to  be  one  of  the 
finest  residential  thoroughfares  in  the  United  States.  The  Albright  Art  Gallery, 
situated  on  the  grounds  of  the  Pan-American  Exposition  enjoys  a  high  repu- 
tation and  contains  besides  the  permanent  collection  of  the  ]3uffalo  Fine  Arts 
Academy,  one  of  the  best  art  schools  in  the  country. 

Buffalo  is  22  miles  from  the  world-famous  Niagara  Falls.  Its  population  in 
1912  was  444,950,  increasing  at  the  rate  of  about  15,000  a  year. 


DETROIT 

The  disclosures  of  the  thirteenth  census  with  reference  to  the  growth  of 
Detroit  industrially  and  in  population,  and  especially  the  marvelous  develop- 
ment of  its  greatest  industry,  the  automobile,  were  very  striking. 

Detroit  holds  first  rank  among  all  the  cities  of  the  world  in  the  manufacture 
of  the  automobile.    The  actual  growth  of  this  industry  in  Detroit  has  been  one 
of  the  industrial  marvels  of  the  age.     In  the  twelfth  census  reports,  coveringi 
the  work  of  1899,  this  industry  did  not  appear  as  a  separate  class  in  the  tables.* 
In  1904  the  value  of  automobiles  and  their  parts  produced  in  Detroit  was  given  - 
at  §6,240,057.     In  1908  the  product  in  automobiles  stood  at  S22,000,000.     It 


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CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  63 

then  jumped  to  $54,300,000  in  1900  and  §134,587,000  in  1910.  The  next  year 
this  industry  employed  about  35,000  men,  and  turned  out  135,000  cars  valued 
at  $160,000,000.  The  registered  capital  employed  by  the  twenty-seven  com- 
panies engaged  in  this  industrj'  is  about  $40,000,000.  Every  business  man 
visiting  Detroit  ought  to  go  through  one  or  more  of  the  immense  automobile 
establishments. 

The  second  industry  of  Detroit  is  car  building,  with  a  larger  output  of  steel 
cars  than  any  other  city  in  the  United  States.  Detroit  also  has  immense  shops 
antl  shipyards  and  is  in  the  first  rank  among  the  lake  shipbuilding  ports. 

Detroit  also  holds  a  leading  position  in  the  manufacture  of  stoves,  drug- 
gists' preparations,  soda-ash  and  caustic  soda,  aluminum  castings,  adding- 
machines  and  overalls.  It  is  among  the  leaders  in  the  manufacture  of 
malleable  iron,  paints  and  varnishes,  matches  and  special  lines  of  furniture. 

The  official  figures  of  the  census  show  that  in  1909  the  value  of  the  product 
of  the  factories  of  Detroit  was  $252,992,000.  The  enormous  expansion  of  the 
automobile  business  in  the  next  two  years,  together  with  an  unusual  gro\\'th  in 
other  lines,  indicates  a  factory  product  for  1911  which  reaches  the  tremendous 
total  of  $340,000,000. 

On  December  31,  1911,  the  population  of  Detroit  was  about  527,000  people 
within  its  area  of  only  41.44  square  miles. 

In  1903  the  foundation  was  laid  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce,  which 
has  become  one  of  the  most  powerful  and  useful  commercial  and  civic  organi- 
zations in  the  country.  Its  membership  has  increased  from  506  at  the  time  of 
its  formal  organization  June  30,  1903,  to  over  3,100  in  April,  1912. 


CHICAGO 

Less  than  a  century-  ago  the  city  of  Chicago  was  a  military  post  surrounded 
by  the  habitations  of  a  few  traders  and  Indians.  In  1837  it  waa  incorporated 
as  a  city  with  a  population  of  4,170.  In  1912  it  had  a  population  of  2,446,921. 
Its  area  is  195  square  miles.  It  is  now  the  second  city  of  the  western  hemi- 
sphere and  the  fifth  city  of  the  world.  As  a  port  of  one  of  the  great  lakes  its 
toimage  has  given  it  rank  with  the  world's  great  seaports.  It  is  the  greatest 
railway  center  in  the  world,  being  the  terminal  for  twenty-six  railway  systems, 
comprising  84,938  miles,  or  34.8  per  cent  of  all  the  railroad  mileage  of  the  United 
States.  As  a  manufacturing  center,  Chicago  leads  in  the  production  of  agri- 
cultural implements,  meat  products,  electrical  equipment,  railway  supplies, 
passenger,  freight  and  sleeping  cars,  musical  instruments,  millinery,  clothing 
and  various  other  lines.  It  is  a  foremost  distributing  center  of  grain,  fruit 
and  produce,  stnictural  steel,  many  kinds  of  machinery,  hardware,  lumber,  fur- 
niture, dry  goods,  footwear,  hides  and  leathers,  books  and  publications. 

The  population  of  Chicago  is  an  aggregation  of  more  than  forty  nationali- 
ties and  racial  variations,  and  this  fact  largely  substantiates  its  claim  to  be  dis- 
tinguished as  the  American  city.    It  is  a  commercial  and  industrial  rather  than 


54  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

a  financial  center,  and  its  weekly  bank  clearings  of  S2G7,609,804  reflect  the 
transactions  of  commerce  rather  than  the  speculative  business  of  the  exchange. 
Its  business  in  grain,  lumber,  steel,  meats,  clothing,  dry  goods,  etc.,  is  enormous. 
Its  wholesale  trade  is  estimated  to  be  81,905,989,000  annually. 

Chicago  is  encircled  by  a  system  of  parks  and  boulevards,  having  a  circum- 
ference of  about  forty  miles,  three  of  its  greater  parks  being  upon  its  water 
front.  It  is  in  the  front  rank  among  the  world's  cities  in  the  number  and 
equipment  of  playgrounds  provided  for  its  children,  and  it  is  also  distin- 
guished in  having  the  great  social  settlement,  Hull  House. 

Chicago,  like  most  cities  of  the  new  and  old  world,  has  gro^n  without  a 
plan.  But  a  plan  magnificent  in  design  and  practical  in  its  workings  has  now 
been  submitted  to  the  people,  and  this  will  guide  the  city's  great  acts  of  recon- 
struction and  extension  in  coming  years.  The  great  ofl^ices  and  mercantile 
buildings  of  Chicago  are  concentrated  in  a  central  district,  and  this  district  is 
under  gradual  transformation  respecting  those  details  which  give  beauty  and 
convenience  to  metropolitan  centers. 

Chicago  is  distinguished  as  the  site  of  the  University  of  Chicago  which  in 
twenty  years  of  life  has  instructed  43,115  students,  and  represents  an  invest- 
ment in  buildings,  equipment,  endowment,  etc.,  of  835,000,000. 

Chicago  is  the  meeting  place  of  many  conventions  and  so  is  an  exchange 
for  national  thought  on  commercial,  industrial,  educational,  religious,  political 
and  other  questions  animating  the  life  of  the  American  people. 

In  Chicago's  Art  Institute,  or  Academy  of  Exhibition  and  Design,  there 
are  more  than  fifty  classes  aggregating  3,000  pupils  annually.  Chicago's  public 
library,  operating  through  a  great  main  building  and  twenty-six  liranches,  offers 
one-half  million  volumes,  the  circulation  of  which  is  3,000,000  ammally.  The 
Theodore  Thomas  Orchestra  and  the  Chicago  Grand  Opera  Company  are 
among  the  city's  exceptional  musical  facilities. 

The  city's  business  and  professional  strength  and  sentiment  have  been  or- 
ganized in  The  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce,  one  of  the  largest  bodies  of 
its  kind  in  the  world. 

CINCINNATI 

Cincinnati  is  located  in  two  states  and  three  counties,  the  metropolitan 
district  including  a  population  of  about  600,000.  The  great  Ohio  River  flowing 
through  its  center  presents  an  example  of  governmental  canalization  on  a  large 
scale,  and  when  completed  will  form  a  constantly  navigable  water  system  thou- 
sands of  miles  in  length. 

Geographical  and  other  natural  advantages,  including  proximity  to  the 
center  of  population,  to  vast  sources  of  supply  of  raw  materials,  including  one 
of  the  greatest  soft-coal  fields  in  the  world,  have  tended  to  develop  manufac- 
turing on  a  large  and  diversified  scale.  Cincinnati  takes  a  high  rank  in  the 
manufacture  of  machine  tools,  woodworking  machinery,  office  furniture,  glass 
bottles,  ornamental  iron,  playing  cards  and  washing  machines,  and  in  the  dis- 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  55 

tributon  of  whiskey  and  hardwood  himber.  It  is  also  an  important  center  the 
the  manufacture  of  shoes,  soap,  clothing,  acids,  musical  instruments,  printing 
inks,  laundry  machinery,  distilling  ai)paratus  and  carriages.  So  diversified  are 
the  industrial  activities  that  a  complete  list  is  not  feasible,  but  the  situation 
may  be  summarized  by  the  statement  that  90  per  cent  of  the  lines  classified  by 
the  Federal  Census  are  manufactured  in  Cincinnati. 

Cincinnati  is  the  only  city  in  the  United  States  o^^^ling  a  steam  railroad, 
the  Cincinnati  Southern,  extending  from  Cincinnati  to  Chattanooga,  Term. 
The  city  operates  playgrounds,  municipal  lodging-houses,  an  emplojTnent 
bureau,  a  municipal  laundry,  bathhouses,  tuberculosis  and  general  hospitals, 
in  addition  to  the  usual  activities  of  a  city  government.  A  new  municipal 
hospital,  costing  two  million  dollars,  is  under  construction. 

Perhaps  the  most  completely  co-ordinated  educational  system  in  the  coun- 
try' is  found  here,  since  it  includes  instruction  from  the  kindergarten  to  and 
including  the  Municipal  University.  The  co-operative  system  of  education,  by 
which  the  time  of  the  student  is  divided  between  the  class  work  and  actual 
employment  in  the  factories  and  other  establishments  of  the  city,  is  being 
adopted  largely  in  other  cities. 

A  comprehensive  park  and  boulevard  system  is  being  worked  out  by  a 
special  commission.  Many  new  and  important  projects,  such  as  a  magnificent 
Union  Station,  a  rapid  transit  system  and  a  public  auditorium  and  entertain- 
ment hall,  are  in  contemplation, 

Cincinnati  has  long  been  noted  as  a  center  for  art  and  music,  and  the  May 
Festivals  are  renowned  throughout  the  music-loving  world. 


DAYTON 

Dayton,  "The  City  of  a  Thousand  Factories,"  is  situated  in  the  south- 
western portion  of  Ohio,  a  state  near  the  center  of  the  United  States.  It 
was  founded  in  1706  by  English,  and  later,  German  people.  It  received  its 
charter  in  1805,  when  it  had  a  population  of  about  100  people.  Its  present 
population  is  about  125,000,  and  its  corporate  area  is  6.5  miles.  Dayton  is 
situated  in  a  rich  industrial  and  agricultural  area  —  the  most  thickly  populated 
section  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  and  within  its  trading  district  are 
over  750,000  people.  Daj-ton  is  a  city  of  homes,  and  ranks  high  in  its  civic 
improvements,  parks,  playgrounds  and  civic  pride. 

Dayton  is  a  leader  in  the  manufacture  of  the  following  products:  cash  re- 
gisters, aeroplanes,  car  registers,  railroad  cars,  sewing  machines,  cast-iron  fit- 
ings.  clay  working  machinery,  computing  scales,  filters,  shoe  lasts,  golf  clubs, 
stamped  envelopes.  Dayton  is  also  an  automobile  manufacturing  center. 
Daj-ton  has  1,264  industrial  establishments,  with  an  annual  output  valued  at 
$72,000,000.  The  capital  invested  is  832,000,000.  Dayton's  annual  payroll  is 
over  $35,000,000. 

The  most  notable  industrial  plant  at  Dayton  is  the  great  factory  of  the 


66  IXTERXATIOXAL    CONGRESS    OF 

National  Cash  Register  Company,  which  makes  cash  registers  for  every  coun- 
try'- on  the  globe,  doing  45  per  cent  of  its  business  outside  the  United  States. 
This  company  maintains  in  connection  with  its  works  a  well-equipped  school 
for  the  industrial  education  of  its  employees.  The  president  of  the  Company 
maintains  near  the  outskirts  of  the  city  a  large  park  "Hills  and  Dales"  for  the 
use  of  the  employees  and  the  citizens  generally. 

The  original  and  present  factory  of  Wright  Brothers,  the  famous  aero- 
nautic engineers,  is  located  at  Dayton.  Eight  railroads  radiate  in  twelve  direc- 
tions from  the  city. 

At  Dayton  is  situated  the  largest  and  finest  National  Soldiers'  Home  in  the 
United  States  in  an  exceptional  location  surrounded  by  beautiful  grounds. 


PITTSBURGH 

Pittsburgh  is  the  steel  center  of  the  world.  It  occupies  the  front  rank  in 
the  production  of  iron,  steel,  pig  iron,  steel  ingots  and  castings,  structural  steel, 
wire,  iron  and  steel  pipe,  sheet  and  plate  iron  and  steel,  steel  buildings  and 
bridges,  steel  cars,  rolling-mill  machinery  and  other  iron  and  steel  products. 

The  Pittsburgh  district  produced  in  1910  ninety  million  tons  of  bituminous 
coal.  Its  steel  works  and  blast  furnaces  give  emplojnment  to  75,000  men.  For 
the  hauhng  of  materials,  coke,  iron  ore  and  limestone,  which  are  made  into  pig 
iron  in  the  Pittsburgh  district,  88,000  freight  trains,  with  an  average  load  of 
3,400  gross  tons  apiece  are  required  every  year.  The  total  annual  tonnage  of 
the  district  is  167,733,268  tons.  In  1910,  56,480,000,000  cubic  feet  of  natural 
gas  were  piped  into  Pittsl)urgh  direct  from  the  gas  fields. 

In  addition  to  the  great  steel  industry,  Pittsburgh  has  an  important  posi- 
tion in  the  manufacture  of  plate  and  window  glass,  plumbing  supplies,  fire  brick, 
air  brakes,  table  ware,  white  lead,  tin  plate,  electrical  machinery,  aluminum 
and  cork.  It  has  a  huge  pickling  and  preserving  plant  with  3,500  employees 
and  500  traveling  salesmen. 

Metropolitan  Pitts])urgh  has  a  population  within  a  ten-mile  radius  of 
1,042,855,  ranking  as  the  fifth  metropolitan  district  of  the  United  States. 
Within  a  radius  of  40  miles  of  the  Court  House  there  lives  a  population  of  four 
million  people. 

There  are  84  banks  and  trust  companies  in  Pittsburgh  with  a  capital  of 
about  860,000,000,  and  surplus  of  about  §100,000,000.  The  clearing-house  ex- 
changes for  1911  amounted  to  .S2,520,285,912. 

Pittsburgh  has  509  miles  of  paved  streets.  It  has  22  parks,  containing  1,387 
acres,  valued  at  over  seven  million  dollars. 

Carnegie  Institute  covers  four  acres,  and  cost  Andrew  Carnegie  $6,000,000, 
—  with  the  teclmical  schools  adjoining,  and  all  endowments,  S24,000,000.  The 
Carnegie  Technical  Schools  have  2,450  students,  a  campus  of  32  acres  and  a 
faculty  of  100.  The  University  of  Pittsburgh  is  a  splendidly  equipped  insti- 
tution with  1,948  students,  a  campus  of  43  acres  and  a  faculty  of  225. 


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CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  57 


WASHINGTON 

Washington,  the  capital  city  of  the  United  States,  is  generally  admitted  to 
be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  cities  in  the  New  World.  It  was  planned  by  the 
celebrated  French  engineer  Charles  Pierre  L'Enfant.  The  public  buildings  are 
handsome  and  well  placed,  and  thousands  of  acres  of  small  and  large  parks 
adorn  the  city. 

As  the  seat  of  the  government  of  the  United  States,  it  has  grown  from  a 
village  to  a  city  of  340,000  inhabitants.  The  White  House,  where  the  President 
hves,  and  the  Capitol,  where  Congress  sits,  are  located  at  either  end  of  Penn- 
sylvania Avenue,  the  principal  thoroughfare  of  the  city,  and  one  of  the  most 
notable  in  the  world. 

In  Washington  are  located  the  State,  War,  Navy,  Treasury,  Post-Oflice, 
Interior,  Agricultural,  Commerce  and  Labor  Departments.  The  Library  of 
Congress  has  nearly  two  million  volumes.  The  National  Museum,  the  United 
States  Geological  Survey,  the  Smithsonian  Institute,  the  Naval  Observatory, 
the  Patent  Office  and  the  Carnegie  Institute  of  Science  are  notable  features. 
The  Pan-American  Union  is  housed  in  a  magnificent  building  near  the  great 
Washington  Monmnent. 

The  government  factories,  such  as  the  Bureau  of  Engraving  and  Printing, 
the  Government  Printing-Office,  the  Navy  Yard  and  the  Arsenal  have  plants 
valued  at  S25,000,000. 

Mt.  Vernon,  the  home  and  tomb  of  George  Washington,  is  within  an  hour's 
ride  of  the  capital. 

Annapolis,  the  Government  Naval  School,  is  within  a  short  distance  of  the 
city.  A  great  National  Soldiers'  Home  for  the  care  of  the  retired  and  invalid 
soldiers  is  within  the  District  of  Columbia. 

Washington  has  314  parks  and  parkways,  covering  3,4L3  acres. 

The  capital  is  the  location  of  over  100  educational  institutions.  This  num- 
ber includes  three  imiversities :  the  George  Washington,  Georgetown  and  the 
Catholic  University  of  America.  There  are  also  a  deaf  mute  college  at  Kendal 
Green,  the  Army  War  College,  the  Army  Medical  School  and  others. 

Washington  is  by  no  means  insignificant  from  an  industrial  point  of  view. 
It  contains  2,669  manufacturing  establishments  with  16,000  employees,  and 
annual  products  valued  at  over  §37,000,000. 

The  District  of  Columbia,  in  which  Washington  is  located,  was  established 
by  Act  of  Congress  in  1790.  The  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  District 
of  Columbia  is  in  the  hands  of  two  commissioners  appointed  by  the  President 
and  confirmed  by  the  Senate,  and  one  Army  Engineer  officer  detailed  by  the 
Secretary  of  War.  These  three  men  constitute  a  board  of  commissioners  for 
three  years.  This  board  prepares  and  submits  estimates  for  the  expenditures 
for  each  year;  one-half  of  the  necessary  amount  being  assessed  upon  the  Dis- 
trict, and  the  other  half  appropriated  by  Congress  from  the  Federal  funds. 


58  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 


PHILADELPHIA 

Philadelphia  is  one  of  the  most  important  cities  of  the  United  States  in 
commerce,  industry  and  financial  power.  In  1910  its  population  was  1,549,008, 
and  it  ranked  as  the  third  city  of  the  country. 

Philadelphia  takes  the  lead  in  many  important  lines  of  domestic  produc- 
tion. The  largest  single  industry  of  the  city  is  the  Baldwin  Locomotive  Works, 
which  gives  emplojuient  to  12,000  to  15,000  men,  and  turns  out  eight  locomo- 
tives per  diem. 

The  city  is  a  leader  in  the  building  of  ships,  the  manufacture  of  textiles, 
carpets  and  rugs,  leather,  hosiery,  knit  goods,  felt  hats,  saws,  oilcloth  and  street- 
cars, and  is  important  in  sugar  refining,  petroleum  refining,  the  production  of 
machinery  of  all  kinds,  chemicals,  druggists'  preparations,  cordage  and  twine. 

In  Philadelphia  are  located  8,379  industrial  establishments,  employing  251,- 
884  people,  who  receive  annually  w'ages  of  $126,381,000.  The  capital  invested 
in  the  industries  of  Philadelphia  is  8691,397,000.  The  value  of  the  industrial 
product  of  Philadelphia  in  1909  was  $746,076,000. 

Philadelphia  is  the  headquarters  of  two  of  the  most  important  American 
railroads,  the  Peimsylvania  Railroad  and  the  Reading  Railroad. 

There  are  in  Philadelphia  105  national  banks,  trust  companies  and  saving 
funds  with  a  capital  and  surplus  of  $170,000,000,  and  deposits  of  nearlj'  $600,- 
000,000. 

Philadelphia  was  founded  in  1682  by  "William  Penn  as  a  Quaker  colony,  and 
has,  in  its  250  years  of  history,  been  the  scene  of  some  of  the  most  important 
events  of  American  history.  The  Declaration  of  Independence  and  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States  were  both  signed  at  Philadelphia.  The  first  Na- 
tional ]\Iint  and  the  first  United  States  Post-Office  were  opened  there. 

Philadelphia  is  an  important  educational  center,  being  the  scat  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pemisylvania,  and  the  famous  Girard  College.  The  Drexel  Insti- 
tute, devoted  to  the  extension  and  improvement  of  industrial  education,  is 
attended  by  more  than  3,000  students.  The  Pemisylvania  Academy  of  Fine 
Arts  has  one  of  the  most  important  art  collections  in  the  United  States. 

Philadelphia  has  an  excellent  park  system.  The  city's  chief  recreation 
ground  is  Fairmount  Park,  one  of  the  largest  city  parks  of  the  world,  covering 
an  area  of  3,348  acres.  The  Zoological  Garden  in  Philadelphia  contains  one  of 
the  best  collections  of  the  kind  in  America. 

The  Philadelphia  Commercial  IMuseum  was  established  in  1895  to  dissem- 
inate knowledge  concerning  products,  requirements,  mamiers  and  customs  of 
different  parts  of  the  world.  This  is  the  most  important  commercial  museum 
of  the  United  States. 


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CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  59 


NEW   YORK 

New  York  is  the  metropolis  of  America  and  the  second  city  of  the  world. 
In  population,  wealth,  financial  importance,  commerce  and  manufacturing  it 
dominates  all  other  American  cities.    It  is  the  natural  gateway  to  the  continent. 

In  1910,  according  to  the  Federal  census,  the  population  of  New  York  was 
4,760,883.    Its  present  officially  estimated  population  is  5,173,000. 

In  1911  the  assessed  value  for  purposes  of  taxation  of  New  York  real  and 
personal  property  was  $8,216,703,287. 

New  York  is  the  financial  center  of  America.  Its  banking  operations  com- 
prise not  only  the  interests  arising  from  the  immense  volume  of  foreign  and 
domestic  commerce,  but  also  the  financing  of  the  nation's  railway  system  and  a 
vast  range  of  industrial  enterprises  in  every  part  of  the  United  States.  These 
vast  financial  operations  are  carried  on  through  154  banks  and  trust  companies, 
whose  capital  and  surplus  is  over  .S581, 500,000.  The  daily  bank  clearings  in 
1911  were  over  8305,000,000,  and  for  the  year  aggregated  about  ninety-five 
and  one-half  l)illions  of  dollars. 

More  than  one-third  of  the  exports  from  the  United  States  to  foreign  coun- 
tries find  their  outlet  through  the  port  of  New  York.  In  1911  the  total  exports 
from  the  United  States  were  valued  at  S2,049,000,000:  those  from  the  port  of 
New  York  were  valued  at  8772,552,000.  In  the  same  year  New  York's  im- 
ports were  of  the  value  of  .8881,592,000,  out  of  a  total  for  the  United  States  of 
81,527,220,000.  Fifty-eight  lines  of  steamships  engaged  exclusively  in  foreign 
trade  i^ly  regularly  between  New  York  and  all  parts  of  the  world.  In  addition 
fifty-one  coastwise  and  local  steamship  lines  transport  an  immense  traffic  be- 
tween New  York  and  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf  ports.  In  1911,  9,719  vessels 
arrived  at  the  port  of  New  York.  In  the  same  year,  180,201  cabin  pa.ssengers 
(alien)  and  556,333  immigrants  landed  there. 

In  the  volume,  value  and  variety  of  its  products  New  York  is  by  far  the 
most  important  manufacturing  city  of  America.  In  1909  New  York  had 
25,938  manufacturing  establishments  employing  680,500  persons.  The  capital 
invested  was  81,304,3.")3,000,  and  the  aggregate  value  of  products  was  82,029,- 
693,000.    The  industries  of  New  York  are  of  a  widely  diversified  character. 

The  city  budget  for  1912  (cost  of  municipal  government)  was  8181,090,256. 

The  city  owns  and  supports  511  school  buildings  costing  8130,000,583. 
The  budget  allowance  for  conducting  the  public  schools  in  1911  was  829,007,747 
and  the  bond  issues  for  schools  were  812,132,287  making  a  total  spent  for  the 
pui)lic  schools  of  841,140,034.  The  average  daily  attendance  of  pupils  was 
002,934. 

The  public  parks  of  New  York  comprise  a  total  of  7,947  acres.  The  most 
important  of  the  urban  parks  are  Central  Park  in  Manhattan  and  Prospect 
Park  in  BrookU-n. 

The  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Arts  in  Central  Park  contains  the  largest 


GO 


INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS 


collection  of  paintings,  sculpture,  architectural  models  and  archeology  in 
America. 

New  York's  transit  problem  is  one  of  the  most  serious  which  any  munici- 
pality has  ever  been  required  to  solve.  Three  great  suspension  bridges  and  one 
of  the  cantilever  type  comiect  Manhattan  with  Brookljni  and  with  Queens 
Borough.  Ready  access  between  New  York  and  New  Jersey  is  provided  by 
the  Hudson  Tumiels  connecting  lower  Manhattan  and  the  do\\Ti-towii  shopping 
district  with  most  of  the  railroads  on  the  New  Jersey  side.  The  present  sub- 
ways under  Manhattan,  Brooklyn  and  the  Bronx  are  proving  inadequate  and 
huge  new  subways  are  under  construction.  The  length  of  trackage  in  the 
present  subways  is  73  miles  and  their  cost  was  $50,000,000.  The  length  of 
trackage  in  the  new  subways  under  construction  is  256  miles  and  their  cost  is 
estimated  at  $347,000,000. 

The  sky  line  of  the  lower  end  of  Manhattan  with  its  huge  skyscrapers  is 
unique.  The  magnificent  railroad  stations,  hotels,  theaters  and  so  forth  of 
New  York  are  world-famous.  No  brief  description  can  give  an  adequate  pic- 
ture of  this  constantly  growing  and  wonderful  city. 


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©elegatesi  to  tfje  Jf iftfj  Snternational  Congregg  of 
Cfjambersi  of  Commerce 

ARGENTINA 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 
Dr.  Abel  Pardo,  Consul  General  to  the  United  States,  New  York,  N.Y. 

Rosario  de  Santa  Fe  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Thomas  A.  Eddy,  Vice-President,  American  Trading  Co.  of  New  York 

Tucuman  —  Bol^a  de  Comercio 
G.  Washington  Rapelli 

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY 
AUSTRIA 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 

Dr.  Leonhard  Hochdorf,  Secretary  to  the  Austrian  Ministry-  of  Commerce, 

Postgasse  10,  Vienna  I 

Brunn  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 
Dr.  Robert  Mayer,  Secretary 
Paul  M.  Samek 

Prague  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 
Dr.  Franz  Malinsky,  Vice-President 
Dr.  Rudolf  Hotowetz,  First  Secretary 
Dr.  Zdonko  Fafl,  Manager  of  the  Export  Office 
Dr.  Otakar  Hoppc,  Official 
Charles  Jczek,  Blansko,  Moravia 
Dr.  Johann  Lowenstcin,  Official 
Dr.  Jan.  Matys,  Deputy  Secretary 
Dr.  Jaroslav  Xovdk,  Official 
Gustav  Steiner,  Steiner  Bros. 
Ing.  Arthur  Sykora 
Hcnr>'  Waldes,  Waldes  &  Co. 
Max  Werthcinier,  J.  Wertheimer  &  Co. 
The  Export  As.socialion  of  Bohemia,  Silesia  and  Moravia 
Rafael  de  Szalatnay 

Reichenberg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Regienmg.srat  Dr.  Fritz  Cams,  First  Secretary 
Kurt  Grohmann,  Teplitz-Schonau,  Bohemia 
Paul  Hielle,  Hiello  &  Wun.sohe,  Schcinlinde,  Bohemia 
Julius  Hille,  Hillc  &  Muller,  Schonau  near  Schluckenau,  Bohemia 
Clemens  Jaeger,  Schonbiichel  near  Schonlinde,  Bohemia 
Johann  Klinger,  Zeidler  near  Rumburg,  Bohemia 

63 


64  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Vienna  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Josef  Vinzl,  Jr.,  ElisabethstraCe  1,  Vienna 

Dr.  ]Max  von  Tayenthal,  Stubenring  8,  Vienna  I 

Arnold  Bardas,  Edler  von  Bardenau,  AuhofstraCe  12,  Vienna  XIII 

Ferdinand  Frankl,  WahringerstraCe  2,  Vienna  IX 

Alfred  Heinsheimer,  LisztstraCe  1,  Vienna  I 

Hans  Jauner  von  Schroffenegg,  Hotel  Sacher,  Vienna  I 

Arthur  Klein,  Horlgasse  7,  Vienna  IX 

Ernst  Krause,  Vienna 

Rudolf  Otto  Maass,  Wallfischgasse  10,  Vienna  I 

Dr.  Gustav  Rosauer,  Zelinkagasse  9,  Vienna  I 

Mrs.  Emilie  Stubenvoll,  HelferstorferstraBe  4,  Vienna  I 
Association  of  Colonial  Produce  Merchants 

Josef  Vinzl,  Jr.,  ElisabethstraCe  1,  Vienna 
Austrinn  Export  Society 

Adolf  Schwarz,  First  Secretary,  Schwarzenbergplatz  4,  Vienna  III 
Central  Association  of  Austrian  Merchants 

Josef  Vinzl,  Jr.,  ElisabethstraBe  1,  Vienna 
Lower  Austrian  Association  for  the  Promotion  of  Handicraft 

Ernst  Krause,  Vice-President 
Manufacturers'  Association 

Felix  Neumann,  Werdertorgasse  7,  Vienna  I 
Merchants'  Guild 

Josef  Vinzl,  Jr.,  ElisabethstraCe  1,  Vienna 

Participants 

Paul  von  Boschen,  Vienna  III 

J.  F.  Votruba,  II  Tylovo  1,  Prague 


HUNGARY 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 
Dr.  Edmund  Kunosi,  Assistant  Secretary,  Royal  Hungarian  Ministry  of  Commerce 

Arad  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 
Dr.  Louis  Varjassy,  Secretary 

Budapest  —  National  Hungarian  Commercial  Association 
Berthold  de  Furst,  Vice-President 
Dr.  Alexander  Katona,  Secretary 
Dr.  Paul  Szende,  General  Secretary 
Hungarian  National  Association  of  Chemical  Industry 
Dr.  Gustavus  Bokor,  Secretary 

Debreczen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 
Geza  Kacziany 
Jules  Szdvay,  Secretary 

Gyor  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 
Dr.  Henri  Kallos 
Paul  Kuffler,  B.  Kuffler  Co. 
Maurice  Szendroi,  Secretary 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  G5 

Kassa  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 
Leo  Per6ney 
Albert  Scholtz,  Mateocz 
Dr.  Aladdr  Siposs,  Secretary 
Andrew  Julius  Siposs,  President 
Aladdr  \^'ein,  Kesmark,  Dep.  Szepes 

Nagyvarad  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 
Dr.  Louis  Sarkadi,  Secretary 

Osijek-Eszek  (Croatia-SIavonia)  —  Chnmhcr  of  Covwierce  and  Industry 
Cedomil  Mihocinovic-Plavsic,  Deputy 

Szeged  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 
Louis  Perjessy,  Seeretarj' 
Joseph  Toth,  Director  School  of  Commerce 


BELGIUM 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 
Paul  Hagemans,  Consul  General  to  the  United  States,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Brussels  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Adolphe  Charlet,  Vice-President 
Leon  Chaussette 
Judge  Louis  Lazard 
Union  des  Associations  Internationales 
Urbain  J.  Ledoux 

Ghent  —  Cercle  Commercial  et  Industriel 
Charles  Christophe,  Secretary 

Mens  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Louis  Canon-Legrand,  President;  President   International  Congress  of   Chambers 

of  Commerce 
Cmile  Jottrand,  General  Secretarj';  Secretarj-  International  Congress  of  Chambers 

of  Commerce 

Participants 

Edouard  Duez,  Toumai 

Marc  Prison,  Tournai 

Henry  Lechoux,  Rue  dc  la  Ferme,  2.5,  Brus-sels 

Adrien  Louvois,  Rue  de  la  Ferme,  25,  Brussels 


BOLIVLA. 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 
Adolfo  Ballividn,  Consul  General,  New  York,  X.  Y 


66  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

BRAZIL 

Official  Delegates  Xominated  by  Government 
Count  Candido  Mendes  dc  Almeida,  Director  of  the  Commercial  Museum,  Rio  de  Janeiro 
Manuel  Jacintho  Ferreira  da  Cunha,  Consul  General,  New  York,  N.Y. 
Dr.  Manuel  da  Costa  Barradas,  Commercial  Attach^  of  Embassy,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Manaos  —  Commercial  Association 

Manuel  Lobato 
Commercial  Association  of  the  Amazon 

A.  W.  Stedman,  77  Summer  St.,  Boston 
Rio  de  Janeiro  —  Academy  of  Commerce 

Count  Candido  Mendes  de  Almeida,  Director  Commercial  Museum 
Commercial  Association 

Count  Candido  Mendes  de  Almeida 
Commercial  Museum 

Count  Candido  Mendes  de  Almeida 
Council  of  the  Merchants  and  Ship  Brokers 

Count  Candido  Mendes  de  Almeida 
Federation  of  Commercial  Associations  of  Brazil 

Count  Candido  Mendes  de  Almeida 
International  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Brazil 

Manuel  Jacintho  Ferreira  da  Cunha 
Santos  —  Commercial  Association 

Charles  W.  Walker,  Arbuckle  &  Co.,  New  York 


CHILE 

Official  Delegates  Nominated  by  Government 
Horace  Newton  Fisher,  Consul,  Boston,  Mass. 

Ricardo  Sanchez,  Consul  General  to  the  United  States,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Richard  J.  Lenpold,  Consul,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Santiago  —  Sociedad  de  Fomento  Fabril 
Horace  Newton  Fisher 
David  Montt,  AAenida  de  las  Delicias  2310 
Tancredo  Pinochet,  414  Wyoming  Avenue,  Scranton,  Pa. 

Participant 
Georges  Pet  it  jean,  Santiago 

CHINA 

Official  Delegates  Nominated  by  Government 
Dr.  Chin-tao  Chen,  M.  S.,  Former  Minister  of  Finance  in  the  Nanking  Government 
Ching-Chun  Wang,  Assistant  Director  of  the  Peking-Mukden  Railway,  Peking 
Fu  Liang,  Canton,  Ministry  of  Industry  and  Commerce 
Chiao  Chung  Tan,  Commercial  Attach6  of  Legation,  Wa.shington,  D.  C. 
Chung  Wen-pang,  Second  Secretary  of  Legation,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Hongkong  —  Sze  Yap  Commercial  Guild 
Louey  Po  Sang 
Yang  Sai  Ngom 
Yong  Bang  Kok 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  67 


Shanghai  —  General  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Joseph  Reed  Patterson 

Charles  R.  Scott,  International  Banking  Corp. 
John  F.  Seaman,  Wisner  &  Co. 
Kwecn  E.  Yang 

COLOMBIA 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 
Dr.  Don  Jorge  Vargas,  Consul,  Boston,  Mass. 

Participant 
Don  Vicente  Martinez  R.,  Cartagena 


I 


COSTA  RICA 

Official  Delegates  Nominated  by  Government 
F.  Peralta,  San  Jos6 
Samuel  E.  Piza,  San  Jos6 


CUBA 


Official  Delegates  Nominated  by  Government 
Antonio  Martin  Rivero,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
J.  T.  Monahan,  1  Wall  St.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Havana  —  Cdmara  de  Comercio,  Industria  y  Navegacidn  de  la  Isla  do  Cuba 
J.  M.  Andreini,  29  West  7oth  St.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Carlos  Amoldson 

DENMARK 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 
V.  Lund 
Copenhagen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
A.  C.  Ilium 
Carl  Rubow 
Hans  Tegner 

ECUADOR 

Official  Delegates  Nominated  by  Government 
Vicente  Gonzales,  Quito,  Chargd  d'.VfTaires,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Julio  L.  Roman,  Consul,  Boston,  Mass. 
Quito  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
L.  E.  Monge,  Quito 

EGYPT 

Cairo  —  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  the  Levant 

Constant  in  Xippas,  Mgr.  Vacuum  Oil  Co.  for  Egj-pt  and  Palestine 
International  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Const  ant  in  Xippas 


68  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

FRANCE 
Angouleme  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Ga.ston  Miignicr 
Limoges  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

L(5on  Bernardaud 
Marseilles  —  Syndicat  des  Imporlateurs  de  Graines  OUagineuses 

Paul  van  Haecht,  59  rue  Paradis 
Paris  —  Aiyurican  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Lawrence  V.  Benet,  19  Boulevard  des  Capucines 

D.  Roditi,  1  rue  Ambroise-Thomas 

Bernard  J.  Shoninger,  President 

William  J.  Thomas,  Assistant  Manager  American  Express  Co.  in  Europe 
Belgian  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Eugene  Allard 

Camille  Huguenin 

Albert  Wolfers,  Vice-President 
British  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Henrj'  F.  Fletcher,  Vice-President 
Italian  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Dr.  Albert  C  Bonaschi,  203  Broadway,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Luigi  Solari,  203  Broadway,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Netherlands  Chamber  of  Commerce 

J.  Pierson,  J.  &  O.  G.  Picrson 
Ottorrmn  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Michel  Dumani 

Avram  Farhi,  Consul  General,  Boston,  Mass. 
Roubaiz  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

fimile  Toulemonde 
Tourcoing  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Louis  Lorthiois,  Lorthiois  Fr^res 

FRENCH  POSSESSIONS  — ALGIERS 

Gran  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Charles  Dupuy 
Philippeville  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Charles  Dupuy 

GERMANY 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 
Wilhelm  Thcodor  Reincke,  Imperial  Consul,  Boston,  Mass. 
Aix-la-Chapelle  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Albert  Schiffers 

Barmen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Paul  Neumann,  Neumann  &  Biiren 
Rudolf  Zicrsch,  Otto  Budde  &  Co. 
Kommerzienrat  Ferdinand  Bartels 

Berlin  —  Deutschcr  Ilandelstag 

Dr.  Soetbeer,  General  Secretary,  Neue  Friedrichstrafie  53-54,  Berlin  C.  2 
Kommerzienrat  Heinrich  Vogelsang,  Recklinghausen,  Westphalia 


I 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  69 

Die  Altesten  der  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin 

Prof.  Dr.  Ma.\  Apt,  Syndic 

Gcorg  Frank,  NicderwallstraCe  1314,  Berlin  C.  19 

Felix  Hcinumn 

Dr.  Martin  Kriele 

Komnicrzionrat  C.  L.  Nctter,  Wolf,  Notter  &  Jacobi 

Kommcrzienrat  Max  Richtcr,  Emil  Ebeling 
Chamber  of  Commerce 

Dr.  Otto  Ehlcrs,  M.  P. 

Leopold  Rcsenow,  Ro.senow  &  Co. 
Hamltitiverlragsierein 

Hanilelsrichter  Hugo  Manes,  Bockenheimer  LandstraBe  45,  Frankfurt  a.  M. 

Konunerzienrat  Otto  Miinsterberg,  Hundega.sse  109,  Danzig 

Direktor  Artluir  Vrancken,  Leystapel  49,  Cologne 
Verband  Deulscher  Waren-  und  Kaufhduser 

Ju.stizrat  Dzialoszjmski 
American  Association  of  Commerce  and  Trade 

Prof.  George  S.  Atwood,  Secretary,  FriedrichstraCe  59-60 
Boon  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Heinrich  Breuer,  Euskirchen 
Bremen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Gottfried  Koch,  Postfach  472 
Breslau  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Max  Schlesinger,  ButtnerstraCe  32-33 
Brunswick  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Ernst  Amme,  Vice-President 
Chemnitz  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Hon.  Ernst  Stephan  Clause,  Plane  bei  Floha,  Saxony 
Cologne  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Otto  Bertuch 

Louis  Lehmann,  HohestraCe  43 
Kdlner  Gewerbe  Verein 

Ludwig  Koerfer 
Verein  der  Induslriellen  des  Regierungs  Bezirk 

Fritz  Schiffman,  Eu.skirchcn 
Danzig  —  Vorsteheramt  der  Kaufmannschaft 

Kommcrzienrat  Otto  Miinsterberg,  Hundegasse  109 
Dresden  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Dr.  August  Karst,  Syndic 

Konunerzienrat  Emil  Lunge,  A.  Lange  &  Sons,  Glaschiitte 

Richard  MattersdorfT,  S.  MattersdorfT 
Export  Verein  im  Konigreich  Sachaen 

E.  Robert  Bohme 
Verband  Sdchsischer  Industriellcr 

Dr.  Gustav  Stresemaim,  ChristianstraCe  1-3 
Diisseldorf  —  Chambrr  of  Commerce 

Dr.  Brandt 

Hugo  Meyer,  SchlieBfach  77 
Elberfeld  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Eduard  Gebhard.  MoltkcstraCe  63 

Dr.  Wiedemann,  Sjiidic 


70  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

V 

Erfurt  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Eduard  Keller-Hartmann,  Ziegenriick  (Thiiringen) 
Essen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Ernst  Simon,  Werden-Ruhr 
Frankfurt  a.  M.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Georges  Gottlob,  Frankfurter  Hof 

Dr.  Levin,  Stadtrat 

Carl  Ritter,  Ritter's  Park  Hotel,  Bad  Homburg  near  Frankfurt 

Freidrich  Thon\-art,  Vice-President 

Dr.  Hans  Trumpler,  Secretary 
Vereinigung  der  Exporlfirmen 

Hugo  Manes 

Gustav  Mayer- Alberti,  KaiserstraCe  37 

Justizrat  Dr.  Ludwig  Hecht 
Halberstadt  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Dr.  Josef  Weller,  Quedlinburg  a.  Harz 
Halle  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Alfred  Hoeltz,  J.  G.  Hoeltz  &  Sons,  Naumburg  a.  Saale 

Dr.  Pfahl,  Sj-ndic 

C.  W.  Roediger,  Hallesche  Maschinenfabrik  und  EisengieCerei 
Hamburg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

C.  Gopner,  Job.  Diedr.  Bieber 

Dr.  Jur.  G.  Arnold  Kiesselbach,  SjTidic 
Heidelberg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Geh.  Kommerzienrat  Friedrich  Schott,  President 

Heinrich  Stoess,  Stoess  &,  Co. 
Hildesheim  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Otto  C.  .Aiilbom 

Eduard  Peine,  SchuhstraCe 

Ludwig  Peine,  SchuhstraCe 
Karlsnihe  —  Handelskammer  fur  die  Kreise  Karlsruhe  und  Baden 

Camille  Brenner,  Hotel  Stephanie,  Baden-Baden 

Friedrich  Straus,  Bankhause  Straus  &  Co. 
Konigsberg  —  Verein  Deutscher  Ingenieure  ^ 

Otto  Breuer  t 

Leipzig  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  j 

Kommerzienrat  Sigismund  J.  Tobias,  Tobias  &  Schmidt  '  1 

Dr.  jur.  Wendtland,  Secretary  } 

Liibeck  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  S 

Carl  F.  R.  Dimpker,  Dimpker  &  Sommer  * 

P.  A.  Mann 
Mannheim  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Dr.  Hans  Clemm 

Dr.  Emil  Michelmann,  Benz  &  Co. 
Mtinster  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Kommerzienrat  Heinrich  Vogelsang,  Recklinghausen,  Westphalia 
Neugersdorf —  Verband  Sachsischer  Industrieller 

Oswald  Hoffmann 
Nuremberg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Carl  Hutzelmeyer,  KleistraCe  5 


i 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  71 

Plauen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Walter  Mammen,  Femsprecher  8 
Regensburg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

August  Ludwig,  L.  S.  Ludwig 

Kommerzienrat  Ludwig  Pustet,  Friedrich  Pustet  &  Co. 
Sonneberg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Prof.  Dr.  Anschuetz,  Secretary 
Sorau  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Paul  Hermann,  Naumburg  a.  Saale 
Stolberg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Geh.  Kommerzienrat  Wilhelm  Hoesch,  Eberhard  Hoesch  &  Sons,  Diiren 
Stuttgart  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Dr.  Ernst  Klien 
Trier  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Hugo  Loeser,  H.  Loeser  &  Co. 
Wiirzburg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Kommerzienrat  Fritz  Lang,  Vice-Chairman 

Participants 

Carl  Gross,  'M.  Gladbach 

Adolf  Hartmann,  Hannover 


GREAT   BRITAIN   AND   BRITISH   POSSESSIONS 

The  delegates  from  the  various  portions  of  the  British  Empire  are  listed  under  the  several  con- 
stituent countries.     The  total  number  of  the  delegates  is  102 


ENGLAND 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 
Hon.  Thomas  E.  Erskine,  British  Consul  General,  St.  Louis,  Missouri 

Barrow-in-Furness  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

I  Alfred  Aslett,  General  Manager  Fumess  Railway  Co. 

!Birkenhead  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

David  B.  Adamson 
Bradford  —  Incorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce 
,  John  Bland 

W.  W.  Rycroft,  Drake  Hill,  Bingley,  Yorkshire 

Richard  C.  Thyne,  Moorcroft,  Yeadon  near  Leeds 

W.  A.  Whitehead,  J.  P. 
Bradford  Dyers'  Association 

Richard  C.  Thyne,  Moorcroft,  Yeadon  near  Leeds 
Bristol  —  Incorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Shipping 

G.  Palliser  Martin,  Arg>le  House,  Pembroke  Road,  Clifton,  Bristol 

Cheltenham  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

George  Dimmer,  J.  P.  Cotteswold,  Leckhampton  Hill  near  Cheltenham 
H.  St.  C.  Bowie-Evans,  20  Lansdowne  Place 


72  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Croydon  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
L.  H.  Turtle,  President 

Derby  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

G.  A.  Longden,  Stanton-by-Dale,  Nottingham 

Dudley  —  Chatt^ber  of  Commerce 

F.  W.  Cook,  J.  P.,  Vice-President 

Halifax  —  Incorporated  Charnber  of  Commerce 

John  Armitage  Drake,  J.  P.,  Messrs.  Drake,  Ltd. 

Huddersfield  —  Incorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Edward  J.  Bruce,  J.  P.,  Crowther,  Bruce  &  Co.,  Ltd. 

Liverpool  —  Incorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Robert  V.  G.  Adamson,  Frank  Hamilton  &  Co. 

James  R.  Barbour 

Price  Jones,  Marples,  Jones  &  Co. 
London  —  British  Imperial  Council  of  Commerce 

F.  Faithfull  Begg,  FaithfuU  Begg  &  Co. 
Hon.  J.  G.  Jenkins,  27  Clements  Lane 

G.  Palliser  Martin,  Stephens  Bros.  &  Martin,  Bristol 
Chamber  of  Commerce 

F.  Faithfull  Begg,  Bartholomew  House,  E.  C. 

Sir  John  E.  Bingham,  Bart.,  Walker  &  Hall,  Sheffield 

Harold  A.  H.  Christie,  B.  A.,  F.  R.  A.  S.,  Deepdale,  Woldingham,  Surrey 

J.  E.  Evans-Jackson 

R.  S.  Eraser,  4  Finsbury  Circus,  E.  C. 

Jacob  Heilborn,  17  Holborn  Viaduct,  E.  C. 

Hon.  J.  G.  Jenkins,  27  Clements  Lane 

A.  Barton  Kent,  75  Farrington  Road,  E.  C. 

Sir  Joseph  Lawrence,  188  Fleet  St.,  E.  C. 

Alfred  Lohnstein,  13  London  Wall,  E.  C. 

Dr.  Rudolph  Messel,  Managing  Director  Spencer,  Chapman  &  Messel,  Ltd. 

Edward  R.  P.  Moon 

C.  D.  Morton,  C.  &  E.  Morton,  Ltd. 

Graham  Spicer,  F.  R.  G.  S.,  19  New  Bridge  St. 

W.  J.  Thompson,  38  Mincing  Lane,  E.  C. 

Thomas  Usher,  72  St.  Mary's  Mansions,  Paddington,  W. 
Wholesale  Stationers'  Association 

Graham  Spicer,  F.  R.  G.  S.,  19  New  Bridge  St. 
Canadian  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Henry  F.  Fletcher,  Vice-President,  British  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  Paris,  France 

Dr.  Frank  B.  Vrooman,  Authors'  Club,  Whitehall  Court,  S.  W. 
Swedish  Chamber  of  Commerce 

F.  Henriksson,  35  Vineyard  Road,  Wimbledon,  S.  W. 
Nottingham  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

W.  H.  Blackburn 

John  Boot,  St.  Heliers,  Park  Drive 

Paul  Meyer,  1  Pelham  Crescent,  The  Park 
Reading  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Arthur  Ncwbcry,  Friar  and  Queen  Victoria  Sts. 
Sheffield  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Sydney  Jessop  Robinson,  Wilham  Jcssop  &  Sons,  Ltd. 


i 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  73 

Wakefield  —  Incorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce  arid  Shipping 

A.  Taylor  White 
Walsall  —  I ncorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Alfred  Dewsbury,  John  Dewsbury  i  Son,  Ltd. 

Joseph  A.  Leckie,  John  Leckie  «fc  Co. 

Charles  C.  ^^■alker 

Sidney  G.  Wheway,  The  Shrubbery,  Sytton  Road 

IRELAND 

Cork  —  Incorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Shipping 

Benjamin  Haughton,  J.  P.,  Cork  Timber  &  Iron  Co.,  Ltd. 
Dublin  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Richard  K.  Gamble,  B.  L.,  J.  P.,  Honorary  Secretary 

William  P.  Odium,  J.  P.,  Huntington,  Portarlington,  Ire. 

SCOTLAND 
Aberdeen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

James  C.  Glegg,  J.  P.,  Glegg,  Thomas,  Ltd. 

George  Hutcheson,  47  Marischal  St. 
Dundee  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

William  Mackenzie,  22  Meadowside 
Edinburgh  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Manufacturers 

James  Comiack,  J.  P.,  Leith 

Young  J.  Pent  land,  Duncliffe,  Murrayfield 
Leith  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

James  Cormack,  J.  P. 

ADEN.  ARABIA 
Aden  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Hormusjee  Cowasjee  Dinshaw 

AUSTRALIA 
Official  Delegate  X ominaled  by  Government 
Right  Hon.  Sir  George  Houston  Reid,  P.  C,  G.  C.  M.  G. 

Melbourne  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Randal  J.  .\lcock 
Fred  Thonemann 

BAHAMAS 

Nassau  —  The  Bahamas  Chamber  of  Commerce 
R.  H.  Curr>- 
T.  G.  Johnson 
Hon.  J.  F.  W.  Turtle,  Vice-Chairman 


Hamilton  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
John  P.  Hand 
Eugene  C.  Pearman 
Sir  Thomas  J.  Wadson 


BERMUDA 


74  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

BRITISH  EAST  AFRICA 
Nairobi  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Percy  Chaplin 

CANADA 
Moncton  —  Board  of  Trade 

W.  H.  Price,  Secretary 
Montreal  —  Board  of  Trade 

Col.  Jeffrey  H.  Burland,  2  Place  d' Amies  Square 
Chambrc  de  Commerce 

C.  H.  Catelli 

Joseph  Fortier 

Arthur  Leniont 
New  Westminster  —  Board  of  Trade 

James  B.  Kennedy 
Ottawa  —  Board  of  Trade 

J.  Fred  Booth 

George  S.  May,  President 

Thomas  Workman,  301  Wellington  St. 
Quebec  —  Board  of  Trade 

G.  A.  Vandry,  Ex-President 
Toronto  —  Board  of  Trade 

W.  J.  Gage,  Ex-President 

W.  G.  MacKendrick 

INDIA 
Calcutta  —  Bengal  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Hon.  Norman  McLeod,  McLeod  &.  Co. 
Delhi  —  Punjab  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Lionel  Collins,  A.  Frausstadt,  Amritsar,  Punjab 

Participani 
Dr.  Shiv  Nath  Kapoor,  167  Bunder  Road,  Karachi  City,  East  India 

JAMAICA 

Kingston  —  Poxjal  Jamaica  Society  of  Agriculture  and  Commerce  &  Merchants'  Exchange 
Reginald  Melhado 

NEW  ZEALAND 
Auckland  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Col.  G.  W.  S.  Patterson 
Christchurch  —  Canterbury  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Gilbert  Anderson,  6  Holborn  Viaduct,  London,  England 

Albert  Kaye,  Kaye  &  Carter 
Dunedin  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Alexander  Stronach  Patcrson 
Invercargill  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Alexander  Stronach  Paterson,  Dunedin 
Napier  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

P.  J.  Ryan,  C.  H.  Cranby  &  Co. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  76 


Wanganui  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Leonard  E.  Bassett 

Alfred  Burnett 

Allan  Robinson 
Wellington  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Albert  Kaye,  Kaye  &  Carter,  Christchurch 

Alexander  Stronach  Paterson,  Dunedin 

SOUTH  AFRICA 

Cape  Town  —  South  African  Manufacturers'  Association 
Willi:un  J.  Laite,  General  Secretarj' 

TRINIDAD 
Port  of  Spain  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
T.  Geddes  Grant 
William  Scott 

GREECE 

Athens  —  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  the  Levant 
Bernhard  Mellissinos,  Athens 


GUATEMALA 


Official  Delegates  Nomitiatcd  by  Government 
A.  C.  Garcia,  Consul,  Boston,  Mass. 
WilUam  A.  Mosman,  Vice-Consul,  Boston,  Mass. 


HONDURAS 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 
Dr.  Don  Alberto  Membreno,  E.  E.  &  ^L  P.  of  Honduras,  Washington,  D.  C. 


ITALY 

Official  Delegates  Nominated  by  Government 
S.  E.  Grand  Uff.  Marchese  Gerolomo  Cusani  Confalonieri 
Hon.  Gustavo  di  Rosa,  Royal  Consul,  Boston,  Mass. 
Ing.  Grand  UflF.  Angelo  Salmoiraghi,  President  Milan  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Alessandria  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Alessandro  Debendetti,  via  Bertola  20 
Bergamo  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Luigi  Locatelli,  Piazza  Cavour  3 
Catania,  Sicily  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Ugo  Donatelli 

Augusto  Morosoli 
Catanzaro  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Baron  Antonio  De  Grazia,  via  Venti  Settembre  1 1 


76  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Florence  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Dante  Antolini,  45  Broadway,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Lecco  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Cav.  Giorgio  Enrico  Falck,  via  Monte  Napoleone  7 

Giuseppe  Sala 
Lucca  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Luigi  Solari,  203  Broadway,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Milan  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Carlo  Paini,  viale  Romana  23 

Senator  Ing.  Angelo  Salmoiraghi,  President 

Cav.  Aw.  Edmondo  Valdiserra,  General  Secretary 
Agricultural  Association  of  Lombardy 

Carlo  Paini,  viale  Romana  23 
Associazione  fra  Commercianti,  Esercenti  ed  Industriali 

Marco  Boghen,  via  Tortona  15 

Giuseppe  Carletti,  viale  Monforte  4 

Cav.  Giorgio  Enrico  Falck,  via  Monte  Napoleone  7,  Lecca 

Comm.  Giuseppe  Janni 

Cav.  Cesare  Ponti,  Portici  Settentrionali  15 

Francesco  Ponzoni,  via  Brolo  2 

Dr.  Av\.  Enrico  Rajnoldi,  Corso  Venezia  61 

Cav.  Pietro  Vallardi,  via  Moscova  40 
Associazione  fra  Commercianti  ed  Industriali  in  Pelliccerie 

Emilio  Pozzi,  corso  Magenta  80 
Associazione  Granaria 

Carlo  Paini,  viale  Romana  23 
Circolo  per  gli  Inter essi  Agricoli,  Commerciali  ed  Industriali 

Cesare  Goldmann,  via  Stefano  Jacini  6 
Consorzio  fra  gli  Industriali  meccanici  e  metallurgici 

Riccardo  Radaelli,  via  Vittoria  Colonna,  N.  2 
Federazione  Commerciale  e  Industriale  Italiana 

Marco  Boghen,  via  Tortona  15 
Federazione  Internazionale  Cotoniera 

Aw.  Roberto  Pozzi,  via  Monte  di  Piet^  11 

Modena  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Cav.  Rag.  Fermo  Comi,  President 

Dr.  Guido  Comi 

Magg.  Cav.  Giulio  Formiggini-Nacmani,  via  Scalze  3 

Dr.  Emilio  Malatesta,  via  S.  Giovanni  del  Cantone  4 

Dr.  Joseph  Salotti 

Dr.  Ferruccio  Testi,  Rua  Muro  20 
Monza  —  Federazione  Industriali 

Dr.  Tullio  Fossati 
Naples  —  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  Italy 

Robert  C.  Arbib,  Tripoh,  North  Africa 
Padua  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Dr.  Gino  de  Benedetti,  via  S.  Sofia  41 
Rome  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Gulienetti  Guido 
Susa  —  Societd  Anonima  Banchiero 

Ing.  Giovanni  Grosso 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  77 

Turin  —  Associazione  Generate  esercenti,  commercianti  ed  industriali 
Hermann  Leidheuscr,  via  Brcra  0,  Milan 
Giuseppe  Magnino,  Cuorgne 
Cav.  Eugenio  Oilerio,  via  S.  Anselmo  4 
Cav.  Uff.  Paolo  Timossi,  President,  corse  Massimo  d'Azeglio  76 

Participants 

Ambrogio  Bnisotti,  via  Vittoria  40,  Milan 

Comm.  Luigi  HufToli,  corso  S.  Celso  G,  Milan 

Emanuele  Celanza 

Cav.  Aw.  Cesare  Dalmazzi,  via  Pollenzo  840 

Franco  Fachini,  Milan 

Prof.  Stefano  Fachini,  Director  Scuola  Industria  Olii  e  Grassi,  Milan 

Dr.  Adolfo  Giro,  Padua 

Dr.  Giuseppe  E.  Hess,  via  Manzoni  39,  Milan 

Ercole  Marelli,  casella  postale  1254,  Milan 

Ing.  Roberto  Naef,  via  Senato  28,  Milan 

Ottavio  Negri,  Biella 

Quint ino  Negri,  Biella 

Grand  Uff.  Prof.  Luigi  Pagliani,  via  Bidone  37 

Paolo  Puricelli,  via  Carlo  Cattaneo  1,  Milan 

Cav.  Ernesto  Reinach,  via  Lario  90,  Milan 

Luigi  Scandroglio,  via  Foro  Bonaparte  50,  Milan 

Giuseppe  Squindo,  via  Montecuccoli  9 

Ing.  Giulio  Tosi,  Legnano 

Ing.  Mario  Vicarj,  corso  Vittorio  Emanuele  68 


JAPAN 

Official  Delegates  Nominated  by  Government 
Y.  Numano,  Acting  Consul  General,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Shinkichi  Tamura,  Vice-President  of  the  Kobe  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Kobe  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Shinkichi  Tamura,  Vice-President 
Tokio  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Reitaro  Ichinomiya,  55  Wall  St.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Yokohama  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Iwao  Nishi,  5  Itchome  Tsukiji,  Kiobashi-ku,  Tokio 


MEXICO 

Official  Delegates  Nominated  by  Government 
J.  Acovedo,  Consul,  Boston,  Mass. 
Don  Enrique  Martinez  Sobral,  Mexico  City,  Mexico 
Domingo  Valdes  Llano,  Hidalgo  No.  121,  Monterrey,  N.  L. 

Hermosillo  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

-Vdolfo  Ruiz 
Vera  Cruz  —  N^ational  Chamber  of  Commerce 

J.  Acevedo,  Consul,  Boston,  Mass. 


78  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

NETHERLANDS 

Official  Delegate  Xoyninated  by  Government 
A.  van  de  Sande  Bakhuyzen,  Consul  General,  New  York,  N.  Y, 

Amsterdam  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

M.  E.  Yonker,  H.  Yonker  &  Son 
Rotterdam  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

W.  Westerman,  Boomjes  78 
Tilburg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Leon  BruycUe,  H.  Bruyelle 

Jules  de  Beer,  President 

P.  W.  Maas,  Paleisstraat  18-20 

NORWAY 

Official  Delegates  Nominated  by  Government 
Dr.  Albert  Balchen,  Christiania 
Christian  B.  Lorentzen,  Christiania 
K.  Oppegaard,  Christiania  Bryggeri,  Christiania 
Johan  Steen,  Steen  &  Strom,  Christiania 

Bergen  —  La  Bourse  de  Bergen 

Kristian  Jebsen,  Managing  Director  Bergen's  Private  Bank 

Kristian  Lehmkuhl,  Managing  Director  Bergen  S.  S.  Co. 

Johan  Ludw.  Mowinckel 
Christiania  —  Den  Norske  Exportnceringers  Landsforbund 

Dr.  Albert  Balchen,  Secretary 

Christian  B.  Lorentzen 
Den  N^orske  FcEllesforening  for  Haandverk  Induslri 

K.  Oppegaard,  Christiania  Bryggeri 
Den  Norske  Handelsstands  FoBllesforening 

Johan  Rye  Holmboe,  President  Tromso  Handelsstands,  Tromso 

Christian  B.  Lorentzen 

Johan  Steen,  Steen  &  Strom 
Chamber  of  Commerce 

Cath.  Bang 

Johan  Steen,  Steen  &  Strom 
Handelsstands  Forening 

Johan  Steen,  Steen  &  Strom 

PANAMA 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 
Ramon  Arias-Feraud,  Central  Ave.,  Panama,  R.  P. 

Participant 
Eric  Barham,  Eric  Barham  &  Co.,  Panama 


PERSIA 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 
Mirza  Ali-Kuli  Khan,  Charg(5  d'Affaires,  Washington,  D.  C. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  79 


PERU 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 
Manuel  de  Freyre  y  Simtander,  First  Sccretarj'  of  the  Legation,  Washington,   D.  C. 

Callao  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Federico  A.  Pezet,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Lima  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Federico  A.  Pezet,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Stock  Exchange 

Federico  A.  Pezet,  E.  E.  &  ^L  P.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Piura  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Pedro  V.  Rubio 


PORTUGAL 

Official  Delegates  Nominated  by  Government 
Oscar  Potier,  Consul  General,  New  York,  X.  Y. 
Jorge  da  Silveira  Duarte  de  Almeida,  Consul,  Boston,  Mass. 

Elvas  —  Commercial  and  Industrial  Association 
Jacintho  Lopes 

Lisbon  —  Agricultural,  Commercial  and  Industrial  Union 

Jorge  da  Silveira  Duarte  de  Almeida,  Consul,  Boston,  Mass. 

William  0.  Andrew 

Paul  Gautier  du  Vignal 
Centra  Colonial 

Manoel  P.  M.  d' Almeida 

Charles  N.  Serpa 
Commercial  Association 

Dr.  Manoel  Garcia  Montciro,  Cambridge,  Mass. 
Geographical  Society 

Dr.  Joaquim  Leite,  Jr. 
British  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Portugal 

John  Cas.'<els,  Villa  Nova  de  Gays  and  Oporto,  Lisbon 

Participant 
Henrique  Jos6  Montiero  de  Mendenca,  R.  Marquez  de  Frontcira  20,  Li.sl)on 

PORTUGUESE  POSSESSIONS  —  AZORES 

Ponta  Delgado,  Sao  Miguel  —  Citril  District 
Edgardo  Garcia 
Commercial  Association 
Edgardo  Garcia 

RGUMAIOA 

Bucharest  —  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  the  Levant 
Leon  P.  Abramovitz,  Galea  Mosilor  80 


80  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

RUSSIA 

Baku.  Transcaucasia,  Asiatic  Russia  —  Chamhtr  of  Commerce 
M.  I.  Da.sscll,  Stcppuhn  Bros.,  Baku 

St.  Petersburg  —  Russo-British  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Charles  C.  Patterson,  Patterson,  Wylde  Co.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Warsaw  —  Assocwtion  of  Polish  Merchants 
George  Loth 

Participant 
A.  J.  Fomilyant,  St.  Petersburg 


SPAIN 

Official  Delegates  Nominated  by  Government 
Don  Carlos  Prast,  Madrid 

Don  Manuel  Walls  y  Merino,  First  Secretary  of  Legation  and  Charge 
d'ACFaires,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Barcelona  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Don  Eduardo  Agusti,  Marq.  Montroig  33 
Don  Carlos  Prast,  Madrid 
Fomento  del  Trabajo  Nacional 

Don  Eduardo  Agusti,  Marq.  Montroig  33 

Gerona  —  Official  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Industry  and  Navigation 
Don  Eduardo  Agusti,  Marq.  Montroig  33,  Barcelona 
Don  Carlos  Prast,  Madrid 

Madrid  —  Official  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  Province 

Don  Eduardo  Agusti,  Marq.  Montroig  33,  Barcelona 
Don  Carlos  Prast 
Official  Chamber  of  Industry  of  the  Province 
Don  Carlos  Prast 

Valencia  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Don  Carlos  Prast,  Madrid 

Valladolid  —  Official  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 
Don  Carlos  Prast,  Madrid 

Saragossa  —  Official  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 
Don  Carlos  Prast,  Madrid 

Participant 
Salvador  Diez,  Jr.,  Jerez  de  la  Frontera 


SWEDEN 

Official  Delegates  Nominated  by  Government 
Olof  Hjorth,  Director  Sandviken  Ironworks  Co.,  Ltd.,  Sandviken,  Sweden 
Birger  C.  A.  Rosentwist,  Royal  Vice-Consul,  Boston,  Mass. 

Gefle  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Olof  Hjorth,  Sandviken 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  81 

Stockholm  —  General  Export  Association  of  Sweden 
John  Hainmar,  Managing  Director 
Bengt  Ljungl)crger,  Secretary 
Chamber  of  Commerce 

Josef  Sachs,  Aktiebolaget  Nordiska  Companiet 

Participants 

T.  Gronwall,  Aktiebolaget  Nordiska  Companiet,  Stockholm 
Tom  Lindberg,  Gen.  Mgr.  Fidelity  Trading  Co.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


SWITZERLAND 

Official  Delegates  Xominatcd  by  Government 
Dr.  Alfred  Georg,  Vice-Pre.<'ident  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Geneva 
Henri  Martin,  Secretary  of  Legation,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Geneva  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Dr.  Alfred  Georg,  Vice-President 
John  L.  Gignoux 

Dr.  William  Rappard,  Professor  of  Political  Economy,  Harvard  University,  Cam- 
bridge, Mass. 
Swiss  Union  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Dr.  Alfred  Georg,  Vice-President,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Geneva 
Louis  Junod,  Vice-Consul,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


TURKEY 

Constantinople  —  Hellenic  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Auguste  Th.  Sinadino,  53  State  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 
American  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  the  Levant 

C.  D.  Const  ant  inidis,  Fulias  &  Co. 

Jules  A.  Fresco 

Carl  Holstein 

Albert  R.  MacKusick,  Boston,  Mass. 

E.  H.  Mill,  Strong  &  Trowbridge  Co. 

W.  C.  Mountain,  Stock  k  Mountain 

Hon.  Gabriel  Bic  Ravndal,  Americjin  Consul  General,  Constantinople 

Thoo.  Rcppen 
Trebizond,  Asia  Minor 

C.  Candilis 

O.  Mahokian 

Isaiah  Montesanto,  American  Consul,  Trebizond 

John  G.  Phostiropoulo 
Smyrna 

James  W.  Wilkinson 

The  other  delegates  of  the  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  the  Levant  who  are  also  listed 
xtnder  their  respective  countries,  are  as  follows: 
Constantin  Xippas,  Cairo,  Eg.vpt 
Bemhard  Molli.^oinos,  Athen.^,  Greece 
Leon  P.  Abramovitz,  Bucharest,  Roumania 


82  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 


UNITED   STATES   OF  AMERICA 

Official  Delegates  Nominated  by  Government 

Albertus  H.  Baldwin,  Bureau  of  Manufacturers,  Washington,  D.  C. 

William  M.  Bunker,  The  Brighton,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Charles  Lyon  Chandler,  American  Consular  Assistant,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Charles  Lee  Cook,  Department  of  State,  Washington,  D.  C. 

John  A.  Craddock,  Lynchburg,  Va. 

John  Foord,  New  York  Journal  of  Commerce,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Frank  D.  La  Lanne,  Board  of  Trade,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Charles  P.  Neill,  Bureau  of  Labor,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Charles  M.  Pepper,  Foreign  Trade  Adviser,  Department  of  State,  Washington,  D.  C. 

James  W.  Porch,  President  New  Orleans  Progressive  Union,  New  Orleans,  La. 

Hon.  Gabriel  Bie  Ravndal,  American  Consul  General,  Constantinople,  Turkey 

Hon.  Thomas  Sammons,  American  Consul  General,  Yokohama,  Japan 

Harry  A.  Wheeler,  President,  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  United  States,  7  So. 
Dearborn  St.,  Chicago,  111. 
Bureau  of  Manufactures,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Ralph  M.  Odell,  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  United  States  of  America 

John  Joy  Edson,  Director 

A.  B.  Farquhar,  York,  Pa.  i 

Ludwig  Nissen,  New  York,  N.  Y.  J 

William  B.  Thompson,  New  Orleans,  La.  I 

August  H.  Vogel,  Milwaukee,  Wis.  ■ 

American  Manufacturers'  Export  Association 

Elmer  H.  Allen,  Shirlej-,  Mass. 

John  W.  Anderson,  Detroit,  Mich. 

M.  de  Moreira,  112  Duane  St.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

H.  L.  GemberUng,  The  Sherwin-WilUams  Co.,  Newark,  N.  J. 

Edward  A.  Keith,  Campello,  Mass. 

W.  E.  Leigh 

William  C.  Redfield,  President 
National  Association  of  Manufacturers 

WiUiam  M.  Benney,  Manager  Foreign  Trade  Dept.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

J.  P.  Bird,  General  Manager,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

George  T.  Coppins,  Vice-President  for  Massachusetts,  Boston,  Mass. 

Steven  de  Csesznak 

John  Kirb}',  Jr.,  President,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

H.  E.  Miles,  Racine  Sattley  Co.,  Racine,  Wis. 

Col.  George  Pope,  Pope  Mfg.  Co.,  Hartford,  Conn. 
National  Board  of  Trade 

Caleb  H.  Canby,  8  Board  of  Trade,  Chicago,  lU. 

Hon.  WiUiam  H.  Douglas,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Frank  D.  La  Lanne,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
National  Business  League  of  America 

Francis  T.  Simmons,  Chicago,  111. 

Benjamin  J.  Rosenthal,  Chicago,  111. 

Akron,  Ohio  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Vincent  S.  Stevens,  Secretary* 
S.  F.  ZiUox,  President 


II 


ki 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  83 

Llbany,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Frank  C.  Herrick,  619  Broadway 

James  H.  Perkins,  National  Commercial  Bank 

laltimore,  Md.  —  Board  of  Trade 

H.  Findlay  French,  Secretary 

W.  H.  Maltbie,  President  Travelers'  and  Merchants'  Association 

F.  A.  Meyer,  Vice-President 

Theodore  Mottu 

(anger,  Maine  —  Maine  Slate  Board  of  Trade 

Edward  M.  Blanding,  Secretary,  Bangor 

Hon.  Frederic  E.  Boothby,  President,  Portland,  Me. 

Timothy  F.  Callahan,  Treasurer,  Lewiston,  Me. 

lay  City,  Mich.  —  Board  of  Commerce 
Justin  A.  Runyan,  Secretary 

linningham.  Ala.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
S.  M.  Adler 
John  L.  Kaul 
J.  W.  Sibley 
Leo  K.  Steiner 

loston,  Mass.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Hon.  Eugene  N.  Foss,  Governor  of  Massachusetts 

Hon.  John  F.  Fitzgerald,  Mayor  of  Boston 

Elmer  J.  Bliss,  268  Summer  St. 

Robert  J.  Bottomly,  Barristers'  Hall 

William  E.  Butler,  Second  Vice-President,  90  Tremont  St. 

Samuel  B.  Capcn,  President  Massachusetts  Peace  Society 

J.  Randolph  Coolidge,  Jr.,  First  Vice-President,  89  State  St. 

William  C.  Down.s,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

John  H.  Fahey,  1111  Tremont  Building 

Edward  A.  Filene,  426  Washington  St. 

Edwin  Ginn,  29  Beacon  St. 

Charles  S.  Haight,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

IW.  M.  Hays,  Assistant  Secretary  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 
James  A.  McKibben,  Secretary 
Edwin  D.  Mead,  40  Mt.  Vernon  St. 
Bernard  J.  Rothwell,  608  Chamber  of  Commerce  Building 
Joseph  B.  Rus.sell,  President,  114  State  St. 
Hon.  Charles  H.  Shcrrill,  20  East  65th  St.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
George  S.  Smith,  50  Congress  St. 
James  J.  Storrow,  44  State  St. 

F.  W.  Taussig,  Professor  Harvard  University,  Cambridge,  Mass. 
James  T.  Wetherald,  221  Columbus  Ave. 
Robert  Winsor,  115  Devonshire  St. 

Fruit  and  Produce  Exchange 

Alton  E.  Briggs,  Executive  Secretary 

Alfred  P.  Lee,  President 

Jesse  S.  Newcomb,  Vice-President 


84  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Massachusetts  State  Board  of  Trade 

Augustus  M.  Bearse,  Postmaster,  Middleboro,  Mass. 

J.  C.  Bennett,  156  Commercial  St.,  West  Lj-nn,  Mass. 

Judge  Loyed  E.  Chamberlain,  143  Highland  St.,  Brockton,  Mass. 

Walstein  R.  Chester,  Trea.surer 

John  H.  Corcoran,  587  Massachusetts  Ave.,  Cambridge,  Mass. 

Theodore  Glover  Fillette,  6  Beacon  St. 

Reddington  Fiske,  Needham,  Mass. 

Richard  L.  Gay,  Secretary,  6  Beacon  St. 

John  Hopewell,  87  Franklin  St. 

James  Y.  Noyes,  Dedham,  Mass. 

Edward  S.  Payson,  395  Boylston  St. 

Charles  H.  Stevens,  Arlington,  Mass. 

I.  H.  Wiley,  77  Portland  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 
New  England  Hardware  Dealers'  Association 

D.  Fletcher  Barber,  124  Summer  St. 

F.  Alexander  Chandler,  36  Federal  St. 

Henry  M.  Sanders,  27  Eliot  St. 
New  England  Shoe  and  Leather  Association 

Elisha  W.  Cobb,  76  South  St. 

Charles  C  Hoyt,  President,  56  Lincoln  St. 
Real  Estate  Exchange  and  Auction  Board 

Hon.  Charles  Francis  Adams,  2d,  President 

Frederic  H.  Viaux,  Secretary-Treasurer 

Leslie  C.  Wead,  35  Congress  St. 
Stationers'  Association 

Frank  W.  Bailey,  64  Franklin  St. 

Abner  K.  Pratt,  13  Frankhn  St. 

George  C  'VMiittemore,  105  State  St. 

BtilFalo,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

WilUam  E.  Robertson,  37  Court  St. 
Maurice  M.  Wall 

Chicago,  HI.  —  Association  of  Commerce 

Joseph  H.  De  Frees 

Frederick  A.  Delano,  President  Wabash  R.  R. 

W.  R.  Humphrey 

Harrj-  Pratt  Judson,  LL.D.,  President  Chicago  University 

Frank  R.  McMullen 

LaVeme  W.  Noyes,  President  Aermotor  Co. 

George  W.  Sheldon,  President  G.  W.  Sheldon  Co. 

Francis  T.  Simmons,  President  Francis  T.  Simmons  Co. 

John  F.  Smulski 

T.  Edward  Wilder,  President  Wilder  &  Co.,  228  West  Lake  St. 
Board  of  Trade 

C.  H.  Canby,  8  Board  of  Trade 

Robert  McDougal 

Charles  B.  Pierce 
Illinois  Manufacturers'  Association 

George  P.  Blow,  Western  Clock  Manufacturing  Co.,  La  Salle,  III. 

LaVeme  W.  Noyes,  President  Aermotor  Co.,  Chicago,  111. 

John  E.  Wilder,  Wilder  &  Co.,  228  West  Lake  St.,  Chicago,  lU. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  85 


I 


Cinciimati,  Ohio  —  Business  Men's  Club 
Marius  R.  Ribas 
Chamber  of  Commerce 
Lazard  Kahn 
Marius  R.  Hibaa 


Cleveland,  Ohio  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Morris  A.  Black,  Director 
Walter  H.  Cottingham 
Harvey  D.  Goulder 
Munson  Havens,  Secretary 
Francis  F.  Prentiss 

Dallas,  Texas  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
J.  R.  Babcock 

Dayton,  Ohio  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
P>ed  W.  Fansher,  Secretary 
G.  N.  Lingham,  Manager  Foreign  Dept.  National  Cash  Register  Co. 

Decatur,  111.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
J.  A.  Corbett,  President 
Edgar  B.  Tyler 

Denver,  Colo.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Thorndike  Deland,  Secretary 
Charles  A.  Johnson,  1020  loth  St. 

E.  L.  Scholtz,  President  Retail  Association,  Chamber  of  Commerce 
H  Robert  W.  Specr 

Edward  J.  Yetter,  President 

Detroit,  Mich.  —  Board  of  Commerce 
MI  John  \V.  Anderson 

^L  George  M.  Black 

^^m  Roy  D.  Chapin 

^F  S.  D.  Waldon 

C.  Haines  Wilson 

Eureka,  Calif.  —  Humboldt  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Capt.  Walter  Coggeshall 

Fall  River,  Mass.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

John  Sunimerfiold  Braj-ton 

Frederick  J.  McLane,  Vice-President 

.lames  T.  Milne 
Fitchburg,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade  tt  Merchants'  Association 

Marcus  A.  Coolidge,  Vice-President 

Herbert  E.  Jennison,  Jennison  Co. 

Ralph  D.  Redfem,  Industrial  Secretary 
Fort  Worth,  Texas  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Col.  Ix)ui3  J.  Wort  ham,  Editor  Fort  Worth  "Star  Telegram" 
Framingham,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

George  L.  Averj',  President 

Harold  B.  Hayden 

Edgar  Potter,  Secretarj" 
Geneva,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Sidney  H.  Lewis,  Secretary 


86  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Haverhill,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

William  W.  Emerson,  President 
John  E.  Maguire 
Austin  H.  Perry 

Holyoke,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 
W.  H.  BuUard,  President 
Morton  Hull,  Secretary 
F.  A.  McLane,  Vice-President 

Houston,  Texas  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
John  F.  Dickson 

Indianapolis,  Ind.  —  Commercial  Club 
William  Fortune 
Frank  McAllister,  President 

Kalamazoo,  Mich.  —  Commercial  Club 
Louis  H.  Conger 

Kansas  City,  Mo.  —  Commercial  Club 

Charles  J.  Hubbard,  Boston,  Mass. 

Key  West,  Fla.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Charles  J.  Curn.-,  Secretary 

Kingston,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Sam  Bernstein,  Treasurer 
Herbert  Carl,  Director 
William  F.  Hoehn,  Secretary 
Robert  E.  Leighton 

Los  Angeles,  CaUf.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
H.  Z.  Ozbome,  President 

Louisville,  Ky.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Charles  T.  Ballard,  Ballard  &  Ballard  Milling  Co. 
James  F.  Buckner,  Jr.,  Superintendent 

Lowell,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Arthur  L.  Graj',  Hildreth  Building 
George  M.  Harrigan,  Lowell  Trust  Co. 
Clarence  H.  Nelson 

Lynn,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Ralph  S.  Bauer,  31  Central  Square 

Maiden,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 
Frank  A.  Bayrd 
Charles  Schumaker,  President 

Milwaukee,  Wise.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
J.  W.  P.  Lombard 
Josef  Mueller 

MinneapoUs,  Minn.  —  Civic  and  Commerce  Association 
E.  P.  Wells 

Newark,  N.  J.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Denis  F.  O'Brien,  A.  P.  Smith  Mfg.  Co.,  East  Orange,  N.  J. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  87 

New  Bedford,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 
Bcnjaniin  H.  Anthony 
George  E.  Briggs 
Abbott  P.  Smith 

New  Haven,  Conn.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Robert  W.  Thain,  30  Beaufort  Road,  Jamaica  Plain,  Mass. 

New  London,  Conn.  —  State  Business  Men's  Association  of  Connecticut,  Inc. 
E.  M.  Dexter,  Hartford,  Conn. 
Frank  H.  Johnston,  New  Britain,  Conn. 
S.  E.  Vincent,  Bridgeport,  Conn. 

New  Orleans,  La.  —  Progressive  Union 
James  W.  Porch,  President 
M.  B.  Trezevant,  Secretary' 

New  York,  N.  Y.  —  Board  of  Trade  and  Transportation 

C.  A.  Green,  R.  G.  Dun  &  Co. 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York 

Austin  B.  Fletcher,  165  Broadway 

George  E.  Ide,  256  Broadway 

Eugenius  H.  Outerbridge,  11  Broadway 
Merchants'  Association 

William  C.  Breed,  Director 

William  A.  Marble,  First  Vice-President 

S.  C.  Mead,  Secretary 

Henry  R.  Towne,  President 
Produce  Exchange 

E.  R.  Carhart 

William  Harris  Douglas 
Italian  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  Xcw  York 

C.  A.  Mariani,  President  The  E.  Mariani  Co. 

Charles  A.  Pastene,  Director,  69  Fulton  St.,  Boston,  Maas. 

Luigi  Solari,  President 
Netherlands  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  America 

Louis  I.  Dubourcq,  President  U.  S.  Branch  "  Xederland  Life  Insurance  Co." 

T.  Greidanus,  Secretarj- 

Peter  C.  Kuj-per,  P.  C.  Kuyi)er  &  Co. 
Swedish  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Hans  Lagerlof 

North  Attleboro,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 
William  II.  Bell,  President 

Passaic,  N.  J.  —  New  Jersey  State  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Ferdinand  Wilckes,  Camden,  N.  J. 

Philadelphia,  Pa.  —  Board  of  Trade 
Frank  D.  La  Lanne 
Bourse 
M  William  R.  Tucker,  Secretary  Philadelphia  Board  of  Trade 

Chamber  of  Commerce 

Charles  J.  Cohen,  Vice-President 
John  G.  Croxton 
William  O.  Hempstead 
N.  B.  Kelly,  Secretary 


88  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Commercial  Museum 

William  S.  Harvey,  President,  100  Broadway,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Wilfred  H.  Schoff,  Secretary 
W.  P.  Wilson,  Director 

Pine  Blufif,  Ark.  —  Chamber  oj  Commerce 
Samuel  C.  Alexander 
H.  C.  Sjjaulding,  Secretary 

Pittsburgh,  Pa.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Albert  J.  Logan 
Logan  McKee,  Secretary 

Portland,  Me.  —  Board  of  Trade 
Silas  B.  Adams 
Charles  F.  Flagg,  President 
Hon.  Charles  F.  Libby 
Frank  H.  Low,  Second  Vice-President 
Maurice  C.  Rich,  Secretary 

Providence,  R.  I.  —  Board  of  Trade 
J.  Palmer  Barstow 
Frederick  D.  Carr 

James  R.  MacColl,  Pawi;ucket,  R.  I. 
Manufacturing  Jewelers^  Board  of  Trade 
Frederick  A.  Ballou 
Frederick  D.  Carr,  President 
Harold  E.  Sweet,  R.  F.  Simmons  Co.,  Attleboro,  Mass. 

Rome,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Alphonse  J.  Sigl,  Secretary 

Richmond,  Va.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
R.  A.  Dunlop 

St.  Louis,  Mo.  —  Business  Men's  League 
Hon.  David  R.  Francis 
George  David  Markham 
Merchants'  Exchange 
J.  J.  P.  Langton 

St.  Paul,  Minn.  —  Association  of  Commerce 
Joseph  H.  Beek 
W.  L.  Seeley 

San  Antonio,  Texas  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
James  Routlcdge 

San  Francisco,  Calif.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

William  M.  Bunker,  The  Brighton,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Paul  T.  Carroll,  Director,  70S  Market  St. 

T.  Gary  Friedlander 

R.  E.  Miller,  611  Mission  St. 

Somerville,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

George  E.  Day,  101  Highland  Ave. 
Albert  L.  Haskell,  424  Somerville  Ave. 


i 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  89 


Springfield,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

■  Charles  P.  Chase,  President 

■  William  H.  Shuart 

Einmett  Hay  Naylor,  Secretary 

S)Tacuse,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Henr>'  W.  Cook 
B.  E.  Salisbury 

Troy,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Jtimes  H.  Caldwell 
William  F.  Gurley 

Waltham,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 
George  A.  Fiel,  53  High  St. 
George  E.  Parmenter 
H.  E.  Tut  tie,  Secretary 

Washington,  D.  C.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Edwin  C.  Reed,  279  Squantum  St.,  Atlantic,  Mass. 
Pan- American  Union 

Hon.  Jolm  Barrett,  Director-General 
Julian  Moreno-Lacalle 

Westeriy,  R.  I.  —  Board  of  Trade 
Cliflford  W.  Campbell 
Samuel  H.  Davis 

Worcester,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 
Fred  H.  Daniels 
Charles  T.  Tatman 
Edward  M.  Woodward,  President 


Possessions  of  the  United  States  of  America 

H.\WAII 
Honolulu  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

William  G.  Cooke,  82  WaU  St.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

P  PHILIPPINE   ISLANDS 

Manila  —  Merchanitf  Auociation 

M.  L.  Stewart,  25  Broad  St.,  New  Y^ork,  N.  Y. 


URUGUAY 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 
Dr.  Carlos  Maria  de  Pena,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Montevideo  —  Camara  Mercanlil  de  Productos  del  Pais 

Max  Otto  von  Klock,  District  Consul,  Boston,  Mass. 


90  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS 

VENEZUELA 

Official  Delegate  Nominated  by  Government 
Pedro  Rafael  Rincones,  Consul  General,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Caracas  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Comelio  Stolk,  Jr.,  97  Water  St.,  New  York,  N.Y. 


permanent  Committee 


INTERNATIONAL   CONGRESSES   OF   CHAMBERS   OF   COMMERCE  AND   COMMERCIAL  AND 

INDUSTRIAL  ASSOCIATIONS 

10,  RUE  DE   LA  TRIBUNE  BRUSSELS,  BELGIUM 

Names  and  Addresses  of  the  Members  of  the  Permanent  Committee 

(August  25,  1912) 

I  AUSTRIA 

Dr.  Max  von  Tatenthal,  First  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry  of 
Vienna,  Government  Counsellor,  Imperial  and  Royal  Commercial  Counsellor,  Vienna 

His  Excellency  Count  Henri  Clam-Martinic,  Personal  Counsellor  of  His  Majesty,  mem- 
ber of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Prague 

Dr.  Fritz  Carus,  First  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry,  Reichenberg; 
Government  Counsellor 

Alternates: 
Dr.  Friedrich  Mader,  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry,  Innsbruck 
Arthur  Kuffler,  Vice-President  of  the  Central  Association  of  Austrian  Manufacturers, 

Vienna 
Dr.  Hans  Chudaczek,  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry,  Eger 


I 


BELGIUM 

Louis  Canon-Legr.\nd,  Construction  Engineer,  President  of  the  Federation  of  Commercial 

and  Industrial  Associations  of  Belgium,  President  of  the  Provincial  Coimcil  of  Hainaut, 

Mona 
Louis  Strauss,  Economist,  President  of  the  Superior  Council  of  Industry  and  Commerce, 

Honorary  Consul  of  Belgium,  127,  nie  Lamorinii^re,  Antwerp 
EuafeNE  Allard,  President  of  the  Belgian  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris,  42,  rue  Le 

Peletier,  Paris 

Alternates: 
E.  VAN  Elewtck,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Brussels 
Paul  Gu.stin,  Secretar>-  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Antwerp 
Joseph  Soubre,  Secretarj-  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Vcrviers,  64,   rue  du   Palais, 

Verviers 

BULGARIA 

\L  Zlataroff,  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Sofia, 

Alternate: 
M.  K.vRASTOYANOPF,  Vice-President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  So6a 

91 


92  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

FRANCE 

Chari.es  Lxgrand,   President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of   Paris,  42,  rue  de  Clery, 

Paris  IP 
Charles  Bosseboeuf,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Tours 
Denis  Bodden,  Counsellor  for  Foreign  Commerce,  Second  Vice-President  of  the  French 

Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Brussels,  82,  Boulevard  du  Hainaut,  Brussels 

Alter  nates: 
A.  Hervet,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Bourges 
M.  Benoit,  President  of  the  French  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  London 
M.  DuHEM,  Member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Lille 


GERMANY 

J.  Andre  AE,  Geheimer  Kommerzienrat,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  59,  Neue 

Mainzerstrafie,  Frankfort-on-the-Main 
Dr.  Joh.  Kaempf,  President  of  the  German  Reichstag,  President  of  "Dor  Deutsche  Handels- 

tag,"  President  of   "Die  Altesten  der  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin,"  8,  HohenzoUern- 

straCe,  Berlin,  W.  10 
Otto  MUnsterberg,  Kommerzienrat,  Member  of  the  "Vorsteheramt  der  Kaufmannschaft," 

Danzig 

Alternates: 
Dr.  Louis  Raven6,  Geheimer  Kommerzienrat,  Vice-President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 

10,  MargaretenstraCe,  Berlin,  W.  10 
Hermann  Robinow,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Hamburg 
Dr.  Soetbeer,  General  Secretarj'  of  "Der  Deutsche  Handelstag,"  53-54  Neue  Friedrich- 

BtraCe,  Berlin,  C.  2 

GREAT  BRITAIN  AND  IRELAND 


t 


Charles  Charleton,  Vice-President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  London,  4,  East  Cheap, 

lyondon,  E.  C. 
Frank  Debenuam,  Former  Treasurer  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  London,  Fitzjohns 

Avenue,  London,  N.  W. 
Lewis  R.  S.  Tomalin,  Former  Vice-President  of  the  Council  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of 

London,  95,  Milton  Street,  London,  E.  C. 

Alternates:  wM 

Arthur  Serena,  Treasurer  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  London,  34,  Leadenhall  Street,       • 

London,  E.  C. 
W.  J.  Thompson,  Member  of  the  Council  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  London,  38,  Minc- 
ing Lane,  London,  E.  C. 
Kenric  B.  Murr.w,  Former  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  London,  Oxford 

Court,  London,  E.  C. 

HUNGARY 

L.\dislas  Furst  de  Mahoth,  Vice-President  of  the  "Magyar  Kereskedelmi  Csamok,"  Sas 
Utcza,  20-22,  Budapest  V 

Dr.  Eugen  Scureyer,  Secretarj-  of  the  "Magyar  Kereskedelmi  Csamok,"  Perczel  Mor 
Utcza,  Budapest  V 

Eugen  Lukacs,  Member  of  the  Union  of  Hungarian  Merchants,  Eotvos  Utcza,  38,  Buda- 
pest IV 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  93 

ITALY 

Ing.  Gr.  Uff.  Angelo  Salmoiraghi,  President  of  the  Union  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  of 
Italy,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Milan 

CoMM.  FiLippo  BiNELLi,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Carrara 
Alternates: 

CoMM.  Giovanni  La  F.^J^INA,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Palenno,  Vice- 
President  of  the  L'nion  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  of  Italy,  Palermo 

CoMM.  AW.  Fekdinando  Bocca,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Turin 

t 

LUXEMBOURG 

Joseph  Wurth-Weiler,  Director  of  the  International  Bank,  Member  of  the  Chamber  of 

Commerce  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Luxembourg,  Luxembourg 
GrsTAVE  DE  Marie,  Merchant,  Member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Ettelbriick 
J.-P.  Sevenig,  Professor  of  Commerce,  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Luxembourg 

NETHERLANDS 

G.  N.  DE  Stoppelaar,  President  of  the  Netherlands  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Brussels,  48, 
chauss6e  de  Charleroi,  Brussels 

Dr.  W.  Rooseg.^arde-Bisschop,  Barrister  at  Law,  Honorary  Secretary'  of  the  Netherlands 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  London,  Paper  Building,  3  Temple,  London,  E.  C. 

G.-S.  DE  Clercq,  General  Secretary  of  the  "Maatschappij  van  Nijverheid"  of  the  Nether- 
lands, Haarlem 

NORWAY 

Alf.  Bjercke,  Merchant,  President  of  the  Union  of  Commercial  Associations  of  Norway, 

Christiania 
Knud  Bryn,  Director  Tidemansgate,  4,  Christiania 
Reidar  Drfi,  General  Secretary-  of  the  Union  of  Commercial  Associations  of  Norway,  Borsen, 

Christiania 

Alternates: 
Adolf  Oeien,  Merchant,  Trondhjem 
0.  Erichsen,  Manufacturer,  Deputy,  Trondhjem 

RUSSIA 

Emanuel  Nobel,  Vice-President  of  the  Association  of  Industrj'  and  Commerce  of  Russia, 

•16,  Liteyny,  Saint  Petersburg 

Alternate: 
M.  Kazimir  Adamski,  Member  of  the  Association  of  Industry  and  Commerce  of  Russia 

SPAIN 

BARTiioLOMfi  Amengual,  Sccrctarj'  of  the  Official  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Industry  and  Navi- 
gation, Barcelona 

Ediardo  Estelat  y  Torres,  Delegate  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Madrid 

Frederico  Rauola,  Member  of  the  "Fomento  del  trabajo  nacioual,"  642,  Calle  de  Cortes, 
Barcelona 
Alternate: 

Enrique  Marti  GarcIa,  General  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Madrid 


94  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 


SWEDEN 

Db.  Fbedrik  Groxwall,  Bank  Director,  Stockholm  C 

Db.  Jacob  Ekman,  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Malmo 


SWITZERLAND 

Dr.  Ed.  Sulzer-Ziegler,  National  Counsellor,  Winterthur 
A.  CuGELMANN,  National  Counsellor,  Langental 
Dr.  a.  Georg,  Former  National  Counsellor,  Geneva 

Alternates: 
Dr.  Alfred  Frey,  National  Counsellor,  Zurich 
H.  Jezler-Lorenz,  Bale 
Jules  Vautier,  Grandson 

UNITED   STATES   OF  AMERICA 

Frank  D.  La  Lanne,  President  of  the  National  Board  of  Trade,  214  Chestnut  Street,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa. 
Edward  A.  Filene,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Boston,  Mass. 
T.  Edward  Wilder,  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce,  Chicago,  111. 

Alternates: 
William  McCarroll,  Public  Service  Commissioner,  New  York 
U.  J.  Ledoux,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Boston,  Mass. 
Col.  J.  J.  Sullivan,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Cleveland,  Ohio 

General  Secretary 
£mile  Jottrand,  Mons,  Belgium 


Names  and  Addresses  of  Members  of  the  Permanent  Committee 
Chosen  at  the  Fifth  Congress 

BELGIUM 

Louis  Canon-Legrand,  Construction  Engineer,  Former  President  of  the  Federation  of  Com- 
mercial and  Industrial  Associations  of  Belgium,  President  of  the  Provincial  Council  of 
Hainaut,  Mons 

Louis  Strauss,  Economist,  President  of  the  Superior  Council  of  Industry  and  Commerce, 
Honorary  Consul  of  Belgium,  127,  rue  Lamorinicrc,  Antwerp 

EuGfeNE  Allard,  President  of  the  Belgian  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris,  42,  rue  Le  Pele- 
tier,  Paris 
Alternates: 

Joseph  Soubre,  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Verviers,  G4,  rue  du  Palais,  ^■cr- 
viers 

Alfred  Vander  Stegen,  Manufacturer,  President  of  the  Belgian  Federation  of  Builders, 
and  of  the  Commercial  and  Industrial  C'lulj  of  Ghont 

J.  B.  Puttaert,  Delegate  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Brussels,  Merchant,  GG,  rue  du 
Marche  aux  Charbons,  Brussels 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  95 


BRAZIL 

Dr.  Candido  de  Mendes  de  Almeida,  Director  of  the  Commercial  Museum,  Delegate  of 
the  Federation  of  Commercial  Associations  of  Brazil,  Rio  de  Janeiro 

Dr.  Alfonso  Bandeira  de  Mello,  Secretary  of  the  Bclgiun-BraziUan  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, Antwerp 

Dr.  Delpuin  C.uilos,  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Information  of  Brazil,  Legation  of  Brazil, 
Paris 


FRANCE 

DA^^D-ME^•^•ET,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris,  2,  place  de  la  Bourse, 

Paris 
Charles  Bosseboeuf,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Tours 
Denis  Bodden,  Counsellor  for  Foreign  Commerce,  Second  Vice-President  of  the  French 

Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Brussels,  82,  boulevard  du  Hainaut,  Brussels 


GERMANY 

J.  Andreae,  Geheimer  Kommerzienrat,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  59,  Neue 

MainzerstraCe,  Frankfort-on-the-Main 
Dr.  Jon.  K.\EMPF,  President  of  the  German  Reichstag,  President  of  "Der  Deutsche  Han- 

dclstag,"  President  of  "Die  Altesten  der  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin,"  8,  HohenzoUern- 

straCe,  Berhn,  W.  10 
Otto  Munsterberg,  Kommerzienrat,  Member  of  the  "Vorsteheramt  der  Kaufmannschaft," 

Danzig 

Alternates: 
H.  Edm.  Bohlen,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Hamburg 
Dr.  Lor  is  Ravene,  Geheimer  Kommerzienrat,  Vice-President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 

10,  MargaretenstraCe,  Berhn,  W.  10 
Dr.  Soetbeer,  General  Secretarj^  of  "Der  Deulscher  Handelstag,"  53-54  Neue  Freidrich- 

straCe,  Berlin,  C.  2 


GREAT   BRITAIN   AND   IRELAND 

Ch.uiles  Charleton,  Vice-President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  London,  4,  East 

Cheap,  London,  E.  C. 
F.  Faitiifcll  Begg,  President  of  the  Council  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  London, 

Bartholomew  House,  London,  E.  C. 
A.  B.\rton  Kent,  Member  of  the  Council  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  London,  75,  Far- 

rington  Rd.,  London,  E.  C. 

Alternates: 

W.  J.  Thompson,  Member  of  the  Council  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  London,  38,  Minc- 
ing Lane,  London,  E.  C. 

Kenric  B.  Murray,  Former  Secretarj*  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  London,  Cromer 
Hyde,  Central  Road,  Morden,  Surrey 

Gr.^^.^ai  Spicer,  Member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  London,  19,  New  Bridge  Street, 
London,  E.  C. 


96  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

HUNGARY 

Jtjleb  Szavay,  Secretarj'  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Debreczen 

LotJis  Varjassy,  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry  of  Arad 

Dr.  Paul  Szende,  Secretary  of  the  National  Association  of  Hungarian  Merchants,  Budapest 

Alternates: 
Maurice  Szendroi,  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industrj-  of  Gyor 
Dr.  Louis  Sarkadi,  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry'  of  Nagj-varad 
Dr.  Aladar  Siposs,  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry  of  Kassa 

ITALY 

Ing.  Or.  Uff.  Angelo  Salmoiraghi,  President  of  the  Union  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  of 

Italy,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Milan 
CoMM.  AW.  Ferdinando  Bocca,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Turin 

NETHERLANDS 

G.  N.  DE  Stoppelaar,  President  of  the  Netherlands  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Brussels,  48, 
chauss^e  de  Charlcroi,  Brussels 

Dr.  W.  Roosegaarde-Bisschop,  Barrister  at  Law,  Honorary  Secretary  of  the  Netherlands 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  London,  Paper  Building,  3,  Temple,  London,  E.  C. 

G.  S.  DE  Clercq,  General  Secretary  of  the  "Maatschappij  van  Nijverheid"  of  the  Nether- 
lands, Haarlem 
Altert^ate: 

M.  E.  YoNKER,  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry  of  Amsterdam 


NORWAY 

Alf.  Bjercke,  Merchant,  President  of  the  Union  of  Commercial  Associations  of  Norway, 

Christiania 
Knud  Bryn,  Director,  Tidemansgate,  4,  Christiania 
Reidar  Due,  General  Secretary  of  the  Union  of  Commercial  Associations  of  Norway,  Borsen, 

Christiania 

Alternates: 
JoRGEN  Blydt,  Commissioner  of  the  Bourse,  Bergen 
O.  Erichsen,  Manufacturer  and  Deputy,  Trondhjem 


SPAIN 

Bartholome  Amengual,  Secretary  of  the  Official  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Industry  and 

Navigation,  Barcelona 
Carlos  Prast,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Conunerce  of  Madrid 

Alternate: 
Enrique  Marti  Garcia,  General  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Madrid 

SWEDEN 

Dr.  Fredrik  Gronwall,  Bank  Director,  Stockholm. 

Dr.  Jacob  Ekman,  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Malmo 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  97 

SWITZERLAND 

Dr.  a.  Georg,  Vice-President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Geneva 
Arnold  Gugelmann,  National  Counsellor,  Langental 

Alternates: 
Dr.  Alferd  Frey,  National  Counsellor,  Zurich 
H.  Jezler-Lorenz,  Bale 
Jtjles  Vautier,  Grandson 

UNITED    STATES  OF  AMERICA 

Edward  A.  Filene,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  453  Washington  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 
Bernard  J.  Shoninger,  President  of  the  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris,  3,  rue 

Scribe,  Paris 
Harry  A.  Wheeler,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  United  States  of  America, 

5235  Lexington  Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

Alternates: 

John  H.  Fahey,  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  12  Littell  Road,  Brooklinc,  Mass. 

George  S.  A'nvooD,  Secretary  of  the  American  Association  of  Commerce  and  Trade,  Equi- 
table Building,  FriedrichstraCe,  59-60,  Berlin 

George  W.  Sheldon,  Association  of  Commerce,  Chicago 

General  Secretary 
£mile  Jottr.^nd,  Mons,  Belgium 


©fficersf  anb  American  Committees; 

FIFTH  INTERNATIONAL   CONGRESS   OF  CHAMBERS   OF   COMMERCE  AND   COMMERCIAL  AND 

INDUSTRIAL  ASSOCIATIONS 

OlUctvi 

President 
Louis  Canon-Legrand 
President  of  the  Permanent  Committee  oj  the  International  Congress.     President  of  the  Federa- 
tion of  the  Commercial  and  Industrial  Associations  of  Belgium.     President  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Mons 

Vice-President 
Edward  A.  Filene 
Vice-President  of  the  Permanent  Committee  of  the  International  Congress. 
Member  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

General  Secretary 

Emile  Jottrand 

Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Mons.    Secretary  of  the  Federation  of  the  Commercial 

and  Industrial  Associations  of  Belgium.     Director  of  the  Commercial  Institute  of  the 

Manufacturers  of  Hainaut 

i8os(ton  Cxecutibe  Committee 

George  S.  Smith,  Chairman 

President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1911 

William  H.  Bain 

Director  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Elmer  J.  Bliss 

Chairman  General  Organizing  Committee 

William  E.  Butler 

Second  Vice-President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

J.  Randolph  Coolidge,  Jr. 

First  Vice-President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

John  II.  Fauey 

Chairman  Committee  on  Tour 

Edward  A.  Filene 

Vice-President  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce 

James  A.  McKibben 

Secretary  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Bernard  J.  Rothwell 

Chairman  Committee  on  Entertainment.     President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1910 

Joseph  B.  Russell 

President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1912 

James  J.  Storrow 

Chairman  Boston  Honorary  Committee.     President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1909 

F.  W.  Taussig 
Chairman  Committee  on  Program 

James  T.  Wetherald 
Chairman  Committee  on  Publicity 

Robert  Winsor 

Chairman  Committee  on  Finance 

Robert  J.  Bottomlt,  Secretary 

99 


100  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 


^mtvitan  ]i)onovavv  Committee 

President 
Hon.  William  H.  Taft,  President  of  the  United  States  of  America 

Vice-Presidents 

Hon.  Philander  C.  Knox,  Secretary  of  State  for  the  United  States  of  America 

Hon.  Charles  Nagel,  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  for  the  United  States  of  America 

Hon.  Shelby  M.  Cullom,  Chairman  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations  of  the  Senate  of  the 

United  States  of  ,\merica 
Hon.  William  Sulzer,  Chairman  Committee  on  Foreign  Affairs  of  the  House  of  Represen- 
tatives of  the  United  States  of  America 

Members 

Hon.  Chester  H.  Aldrich,  Governor  of  Nebraska 

Hon.  Nelson  W.  Aldrich,  Chairman  National  Monetary  Commission 

His  Excellency  Viscount  de  Alte,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Portugal 

John  D.  Archbold,  Standard  Oil  Company 

His  Excellency  SeSor  don  Ricardo  Arias,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Panama 

J.  Ogden  Armour,  Armour  &  Company 

F.  R.  Babcock,  President  Pittsburgh  Chamber  of  Commerce 

George  F.  Baker,  President  First  National  Bank,  New  York  City 

His  Excellency  George  Bakhmeteff,  Ambassador  of  Russia 

Hon.  Simeon  E.  Baldwin,  Governor  of  Connecticut 

William  M.  Baldwin,  President  New  York  Tanning  Extract  Company 

William  Barbour,  President  Linen  Thread  Company 

Hon.  John  Barrett,  Director-General  Pan-'Amcrican  Union 

William  M.  Barrett,  President  Adams  Express  Company 

Hon.  Robert  P.  B.\ss,  Governor  of  New  Hampshire 

Edward  T.  Bedford,  Com  Products  Company 

August  Belmont,  August  Belmont  &  Company 

H.  H.  Benedict,  President  Remington  Typewriter  Co. 

His  Excellency  Se5Jor  Dr.  Don  Ram6n  Bengoechea,  Charg(5  d'Affaires,  Guatemala 

His  Excellency  Count  J.  H.  von  Bernstorff,  Ambassador  of  Germany 

Walter  P.  Bishop,  President  Milwaukee  Chamber  of  Commerce 

W.  K.  BiXBY,  CapitaUst  St.  Louis,  Missouri 

Hon.  Cole  L.  Blease,  Governor  of  South  Carolina 

Hon.  Earl  Brewer,  Governor  of  Mississippi 

Hon.  Julius  L.  Brown,  Governor  of  Georgia 

William  C.  Brown,  President  New  York  Central  Lines 

His  Excellency  the  Right  Hon.  James  Bryce,  O.  M.,  Ambassador  of  Great  Britain 

His  Excellency  H.  II.  Bryn,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Nonvay 

Alonzo  N.  Burbank,  President  International  Paper  Co. 

Hon.  John  Burke,  Governor  of  North  Dakota 

Curtis  R.  Burnett,  President  Newark  Board  of  Trade 

NiCHOL.\s  Murray  Butler,  President  American  Society  for  International  Conciliation 

His  Excellency  L.  L.  Caftanzoglu,  LL.D.,  Charge  d'Affaires,  Greece 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMEIlCJi  iQl 

His  Excellency  Se5Jor  Don  Ignacio  Calder6n,  E.  E.  «t  M.  P.  of  Bolivia 

His  Excellency  SeSor  Don  Manuel  Calero,  Ambassador  of  Mexico 

His  Excellency  SEfJoR  Don  JoaquIn  Bernardo  Calvo,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Costa  Rica 

Hon.  Joseph  M.  Carey,  Governor  of  Wyoming 

E.  R.  Carhart,  President  New  York  Produce  Exchange 

Andrew  Carnegie,  Capitalist 

T.  M.  Carrington,  President  Richmond  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Hon.  Beryl  F.  Carroll,  Governor  of  Iowa 

His  Excellency  Salv.vdor  C.\strillo,  Jr.,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Nicaragua 

John  Claflin,  President  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York 

Hon.  Walter  E.  Clark,  Governor  of  Alaska 

Ch.uiles  a.  Coffin,  President  General  Electric  Co. 

Hon.  O.  B.  Colquitt,  Governor  of  Texas 

S.VMUEL  B.  Colt,  President  United  States  Rubber  Co. 

Hon.  George  R.  Colton,  Governor  of  Porto  Rico 

His  Excellency  the  Marquis  Cusani  Confalonieri,  Ambassador  of  Italy 

George  B.  Cortelyou,  President  New  York  Consolidated  Gas  Co. 

His  Excellency  Dr.  Fausto  Davila,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Honduras 

WiLLi.\M  A.  Day,  President  Equitable  Life  Assurance  Society 

Hon.  Charles  S.  Deneen,  Governor  of  Illinois 

Hon.  John  A.  Dix,  Governor  of  New  York 

Hon.  George  W.  Donaghey,  Governor  of  Arkansas 

Walter  A.  Draper,  President  Cincinnati  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Houston  Dudley,  President  Nashville  Board  of  Trade 

Hon.  Adolph  0.  E^erh.\rt,  Governor  of  Minnesota 

TuoM.\s  A.  Edison,  Inventor 

His  Excellency  W.  A.  F.  Ekenqren,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Sweden 

How.vrd  Elliott,  President  Northern  Pacific  R.  R.  Co. 

James  C.  F.\rgo,  President  American  E.xpress  Co. 

Hon.  Eugene  N.  Foss,  Governor  of  Massachusetts 

Hon.  George  Eulas  Foster,  Minister  of  Trade  and  Commerce,  Dominion  of  Canada 

Hon.  W.  F.  Frear,  Governor  of  Hawaii 

His  Excellency  Senhor  Domicio  da  Gajia,  Ambassador  of  Brazil 

Elbert  H.  Gary,  Chairman  United  States  Steel  Co. 

His  Excellence'  SeSor  Don  Juan  RiaSo  y  Gay.^^-gos,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Spain 

W.  E.  Gibson,  President  Oakland  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Hon.  Albert  W.  Gilchrist,  Governor  of  Florida 

Hon.  Willi.\m  E.  Glasscock,  Governor  of  West  Virginia 

Hon.  Phillips  L.  Goldsborough,  Governor  of  Marjiand 

Hon.  Lee  Gruce,  Governor  of  Oklahoma 

Hon.  Herbert  S.  Hadley,  Governor  of  Missouri 

Hon.  John  Hays  II.vmmond,  Mining  Engineer 

Hon.  Judson  Harmon,  Governor  of  Ohio 

His  Excellencv  E.  Havenith,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Belgium 

Hon.  James  II.  Hawley,  Governor  of  Idaho 

Hon.  M.4JtiON  E.  Hay,  Governor  of  Washington 

His  Excellency  Baron  Hengelmuller  von  Hengerv.4r,  Ambassador  of  Austria-Hungary 

A.  B.\RTON  Hepburn,  I'rcsident  Chase  National  Bank,  New  York  City 

C.  W.  HoBSON,  President  Dallas  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Hon.  Ben  W.  Hooper,  Governor  of  Tennessee 

M.VRViN  Huguitt,  President  Chicago  &  Northwestern  R.  R.  Co. 

A.  B.  Johnson,  President  Baldwin  Locomotive  Works 

Hon.  Hiram  W.  Johnson,  Governor  of  California 


102  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Homer  H.  Johnson,  President  Cleveland  Chamber  of  Commerce 

His  Excxllenct  J.  J.  Jcsserand,  Ambassador  of  France 

Minor  C.  Keith,  Vice-Pre.>^ident  United  Fruit  Co. 

His  Excellency  Mirza  Ali  Kuli  Khan,  Charge  d'Ailaires  of  Persia 

Eugene  U.  Kimbark,  President  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 

D.  P.  KiNGSLEY,  President  New  York  Life  Insurance  Co. 

Hon.  William  W.  Kitchin,  Governor  of  North  Carolina 

His  Excellency  Jonkheer  J.  Locdon,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  The  Netherlands 

Robert  S.  Lo\'ett.  President  Union  Pacific  R.  R.  Co. 

J.  D.  LowMAN,  President  Seattle  Chamber  of  Commerce 

His  Excellency  Se5Jor  Don  Roberto  Macdouall,  First  Secretary  of  Legation  and  Chargd 

d' Affaires  of  Colombia 
Clarence  H.  Mackay,  President  Postal  Telegraph  Co.,  New  York  City 
Sir  William  Mackenzie,  Capitalist,  Toronto,  Canada 
Hon.  Wilu.^jh  H.  M.\nn,  Governor  of  Virginia 
Hon.  Thom.4S  R.  ^L\RSHALL,  Governor  of  Indiana 
Waldo  H.  Marshall,  President  American  Locomotive  Co. 
Cyrcs  H.  McCormick,  President  International  Harvester  Company 
J.\MEs  McCrea,  President  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  Co. 
Hon.  J.vmes  Benn*ett  McCre.vry,  Governor  of  Kentucky 
Hon.  Wiluam  C.  McDon.\ld,  Governor  of  New  Mexico 
Hon.  John  Abn"er  Mead,  Governor  of  Vermont 

His  Excellency  Se5Jor  Don  Federico  MejIa,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Salvador 
Charles  S.  Mellen,  President  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  R.  R.  Co. 
His  Excellency  Solon  Menos,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Haiti 
WiLMER  L.  Moore,  President  Atlanta  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Victor  Morawetz,  Lawj-er  and  writer  on  International  Law 
J.  PiERPONT  MoRG.vN,  J.  P.  Morgan  &  Co. 
J.  PiERPONT  Morgan,  Jr.,  J.  P.  Morgan  &  Co. 
His  Excellency  R6MrLO  S.  Na6n,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Argentina 
Thomas  Ne.u.,  President  General  Motors  Co. 
Hon.  Edwin  L.  Norris,  Governor  of  Montana 
Hon.  Tasker  L.  Oddie,  Governor  of  Nevada 
Hon.  Emmet  O'Neal,  Governor  of  Alabama 
Hon.  Ch.\se  S.  Osborn,  Governor  of  Michigan 
H.  Z.  Osborne:,  President  Los  Angeles  Chamber  of  Commerce 
James  F.  Oyster,  President  Washington  Chamber  of  Commerce 
William  B.vrclay  Parsons,  Barclay  Parsons  &  Clapp 
John  H.  P.\tterson,  President  National  Cash  Register  Co. 
Ch.uiles  a.  Pe.vbody,  President  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Co. 
His  Excellency  Dr.  C.\rlos  M.uifA  de  Pena,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Uruguay 
Hon.  Simeon  S.  Pennewill,  Governor  of  Delaware 
George  W.  Perkins,  Capitalist,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
His  Excellency  Se.^or  Dr.  Don  pRANasco  J.  Peynado,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  the  Dominican 

Republic 
His  Excellency  SeSJor  Don  F.  A.  Pezet,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Peru 
J.  W.  Porch,  President  New  Orleans  F*rogressive  Union 
Hon.  Ar.vm  J.  Pothier,  Governor  of  Rhode  Island 
His  Excellency  Dr.  Paul  Ritter,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Switzerland 
M.  H.  Robbins,  Jr.,  President  San  Francisco  Chamber  of  Commerce 
John  D.  Rockefeller,  Capitalist 

His  Excellency  SeSor  Don  P.  Ezequiel  Roj.\s,  E.  E.  &  M.  P.  of  Venezuela 
Hon.  Jared  Y.  Sanders,  Governor  of  Louisiana 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  103 

Jacob  H.  Schiff,  Kuhn,  Loob  Co. 

Charles  M.  Sen  war,  President  Bethlehem  Steel  Co. 

Hon.  John  F.  Shafroth,  Governor  of  Colorado 

Sir  Thomas  G.  Shaughnessy,  President  Canadian  Paci6c  Railway  Company 

James  Speyer,  Speyer  &  Co. 

Hon.  William  Spry,  Governor  of  Utah 

E.  J.  Stackpole,  Harrisburg  Board  of  Trade 

Allison  Stocker,  President  Denver  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Melville  E.  Stone,  President  Associated  Press 

Hon.  Walter  R.  Stvdbs,  Governor  of  Kansas 

His  ExcELLENci'  Se.<?or  Don  Edcardo  Scarez,  M.,  E.  E.  &  M.  p.  of  Chile 

Loiis  F.  Swift,  Swift  &  Co. 

Thomas  C.  Timberlake,  President  Louisville  Commercial  Club 

Henry  R.  Townt:,  President  New  York  Merchants'  Association 

Frank  A.  Vanderlip,  President  National  City  Bank,  New  York  City 

Hon.  Robert  S.  Vessey,  Governor  of  South  Dakota 

Henry  Walters,  Chainnan  Atlantic  Coast  Line 

Pail  M.  Warburg,  Kuhn,  Loeb  Co. 

Hon.  Homer  Warren,  President  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce 

RoLLA  Wells,  President  St.  Louis  Business  Men's  League 

Hon.  Oswald  West,  Governor  of  Oregon 

George  Westinghocse,  Inventor  and  Manufacturer 

Hon.  Woodrow  Wilson,  Governor  of  New  Jersey 

Orson  E.  Yeager,  President  Buffalo  Chamber  of  Commerce 


BOSTON  COMMITTEES 

BOSTON  HONORARY  COMMITTEE 

J.\MES  J.  Storrow,  Chairman;  Lee,  Higginson  &  Co. 

Gordon  Abbott,  Old  Colony  Trust  Co. 

Edwin  F.  Atkins,  E.  Atkins  &  Co. 

Hon.  Robert  Bacon,  Overseer  Harvard  L'niversity 

Hrou  Bancroft,  Chairman  Directors  of  the  Port  of  Boston 

Hon.  John  L.  Bates,  Former  Governor  of  Massachusetts 

Admiral  Francis  T.  Bowles,  Fore  River  Ship  Building  Co. 

Robert  S.  Bradley,  American  Agricultural  Chemical  Co. 

Timothy  E.  Byrnes,  Vice-President  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  R.  R.  Co. 

Sa.miel  B.  Capen,  Trustee 

Charles  P.  Chase,  President  Springfield  Board  of  Trade 

John  C.  Cobb,  Trustee 

Hon.  T.  Jefferson  Coolidge,  Capitalist 

Hon.  W.  MrRR.\Y  Crane,  L'nited  States  Senator 

Hon.  Edwin  U.  Curtis,  Collector  of  the  Port  of  Boston 

SiG.  G.  di  Rose,  Royal  Consul  of  Italy 

Hon.  Willi.vm  L.  DorGL.\s,  W.  L.  Douglas  Shoe  Co. 

Jorge  da  Sil\-eria  Dcarte  d'Almeida,  Con.'^ul  of  Portugal 

Charles  L.  Edgar,  President  The  Edison  Electric  Illuminating  Co. 

S.\mcel  J.  Elder,  Elder,  ^^'hitman,  and  Barnum 

Arthur  F.  Estabrook,  Rstabrook  &  Co. 

Edward  A.  Filent:,  Wm.  Filene's  Sons  Co. 


104  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Frederick  P.  Fish,  Fish,  Richardson,  Herrick  &  Neave 

Hon.  John  F.  Fitzgerald,  Mayor  of  Boston 

Earl  II.  Fitzhcgh,  Vice-President  Grand  Trunk  Ry.  Co. 

Thomas  B.  Fitzpatrick,  Browm  Durrell  Co. 

Ch.\rles  F.  Flagg,  President  Portland  Board  of  Trade 

J.  C.  Joseph  Flamand,  Consul  of  France 

Hon.  Eugene  N.  Foss,  Governor  of  Mas.sachusetts 

Hon.  William  A.  Gaston,  President  National  Shawmut  Bank 

Edwin  Ginn,  Ginn  &  Co. 

John  C.  Gray,  Ropes,  Gray  &  Gorham 

Edwhn  F.  Greene,  Pacific  Mills 

E.  A.  Grozier,  Post  Publishing  Co. 

Hon.  Ccrtis  Guild,  Ambassador  to  Russia 

Hon.  Charles  S.  Hamlin,  Lawyer 

Henrt  L.  Higginson,  Lee,  Higginson  &  Co. 

Ch.\rles  C.  Hoyt,  Famsworth,  Hoj-t  &  Co. 

Jerome  Jontis,  Jones,  McDuffee  &  Stratton  Co. 

Eben  D.  Jordan,  Jordan  Marsh  Co. 

George  E.  Keith,  George  E.  Keith  Co. 

Roland  O.  L.vmb,  President  John  Hancock  Life  Insurance  Co. 

Gardiner  M.  Lane,  Lee,  Higginson  &  Co. 

Frederick  P.  Leay,  British  Consul 

Lester  Leland,  L'nited  States  Rubber  Co. 

Hon.  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  L'nited  States  Senator 

Hon.  James  Logan,  United  States  Envelope  Co. 

Hon.  John  D.  Long,  Former  Secretar>'  of  Navy.     Former  Governor  of  Massachusetts 

Augustus  P.  Loring,  Loring,  Coolidge  &  Noble 

A.  Lawrence  Lowell,  President  Harvard  University 

Hon.  Robert  Luce,  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Massachusetts 

Richard  C.  Maclaurin,  President  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology 

SAiiuEL  P.  Mandell,  C.  F.  Hovey  &  Co. 

J.  Franklin  McElw.ain,  W.  H.  McElwain  Co. 

Hon.  George  von  L.  Meyer,  Secretary  of  the  Navy 

Laurence  Minot,  Trustee 

J.^iiES  J.  Phel.\n,  Homblower  &  Weeks 

Wallace  L.  Pierce,  S.  S.  Pierce  Co. 

Andrew  W.  Preston,  President  United  Fruit  Co. 

William  Theodore  Reincke,  Imperial  German  Consul 

James  L.  Richards,  President  Boston  Consolidated  Gas 

Bernard  J.  Rothwell,  Bay  State  Milling  Co. 

Joseph  B.  Russell,  President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

A.  Shuman,  a.  Shuman  &  Co. 

Ellsworth  Sisson,  President  Providence  Board  of  Trade 

Charles  A.  Stone,  Stone  &  Webster 

Lucius  Tuttle,  Former  President  Boston  &  Maine  R.  R. 

I.  M.  Ullman,  President  New  Haven  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Theodore  N.  Vail,  President  American  Telephone  &  Telegraph  Co. 

Cranmore  N.  Wallace,  Ludlow  Manufacturing  Associates 

Frank  G.  Webster,  Kidder,  Peabody  &  Co. 

Hon.  John  W.  Weeks,  Homblower  &  Weeks 

WiLLi.vii  Whitman,  William  ^^Tlitman  6z  Co. 

MosE.s  Williams,  Trustee 

Daniel  G.  Wing,  President  First  National  Bank 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE 


105 


Robert  Winsor,  Kidder,  Peabody  &  Co. 
WiLLi.^M  M.  Wood,  President  American  Woolen  Co. 
E.  M.  Woodward,  President  Worcester  Board  of  Trade 
Sidney  W.  Winslow,  United  Shoe  Machinerj'  Co. 


GENERAL   ORGANIZING   COMMITTEE 


Elmer  J.  Bli? 
Charles  Francis  Adams,  2d 
Charles  H.  Adams 
M.  W.  Alexander 
J.  J.  Arakelyan 
WlLLI.\M   II.   Baix 

George  S.  Baldwin 
Walter  S.  Bucklin 
AuGCSTrs  S.  Cobb 
Lewis  A.  Crossett 
Howard  H.  Davenport 
John  H.  Devine 
Alvin  E.  Dodd 
Leon  Russell  Eyges 
Frederick  P.  Fish 
Randolph  Frothingham 
E.  Howard  George 
A.  Leslie  Harwood,  Jr. 
Will  T.  Hedges 
Joshua  B.  Holden 
Frederick  O.  Houghton 
Eugene  C.  Hultman 
Benj.vmin  Joy 

W.    P.    LiBBY 

Louis  K.  Liggett 


J,  Chairman 

George  R.  Leghorn 
Amos  R.  Little 
Frederick  G.  Melcher 
WiLLi.vM  Minot 
Herbert  W.  Moses 
Hugh  Xawn 
J.  Henry  Neal 
Patrick  A.  O'Connell 
Eugene  W.  Ong 
Herbert  F.  Parsons 
Charles  A.  Pastene 
George  W.  Pratt 
L.  F.  Prescott 
B.  Atwood  Robinson 
Joseph  B.  Russell,  Jr. 
Henry  B.  Sawyer 
Hon.  Richard  S.  Teeling 
Everit  B.  Terhune 
George  N.  Towle 
WiLLi.vM  H.  Vincent 
Lyon  Weyburn 
B.  C.  Whiting 
Russell  R.  Whitman 
E.  a.  Wilkie 


SUB-COMMITTEE  ON  OCEAN  TRANSPORTATION 

Frederic  0.  Houghton  Eugene  C.  Hultman 


Robert  Bacon 
Carroll  W.  Doten 
Edward  A.  Filene 
Robert  S.  Goruam 


COMMITTEE   ON   PROGRAM 

F.  W.  Taussig,  Chairman 

Henry  Howard 
Edwin  D.  Mead 
Fredric  J.  Stimson 


COMMITTEE   ON   ENTERTAINMENT 


Bernard  J.  Kothwell,  Chairman 


Frank  S.  Baker 
Hugh  Bancroft 
Edmund  Billings 
Frank  A.  Bourne 


Arthur  B.  Chapin 
Louis  A.  Coolidge 
George  T.  Coppins 
A.  Dudley  Dowd 


106 


INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 


Walter  C.  Fish 
tuomas  b.  fitzpatrick 
Randolph  Frothingham 
Joshua  B.  Holden 
Westley  Jones 
Henry  L.  Kincaide 
John  S.  Lawrence 
WiLLiAsi  E.  Litchfield 
George  B.  Morison 
James  M.  Morrison 
Francis  P.  O'Connor 
Francis  Peabody,  Jr. 
H.  Staples  Potter 


WiLLi.-vM  H.  Potter 
Charles  W.  Robie 
Henry  E.  Russell 
A.  Shuman 
M.  N.  Smith 
Charles  H.  Taylor 
David  F.  Tilley 
Richard  E.  Traiser 
Eliot  Wadsworth 
Harry  R.  Wellman 
John  T.  Wheelright 
Addison  L.  Winship 
Edgar  N.  Wrightington 


SUB-COMMITTEES 


F.  A.  Bourne 


Badges  and  Decorations 

Marcell  N.  Smith,  Chairman 

F.  P.  O'Connor 


Banquet 

Edmund  Billings,  Chairman 
George  T.  Coppins  DA^^D  F.  Tilley 

Henry  E.  Russell  Edgar  N.  Wrightington 

Club  Courtesies 

Charles  H.  Taylor,  Chairman 
George  B.  Morison  John  T.  Wheelwright 

A.  L.  Winship 


Concert  and  Music 

Richard  E.  Traiser,  Chairman 
John  T.  Wheelwright 


Evening  Reception 

A.  Shuman,  Chairman 
Arthur  B.  Chapin  Westley  Jones 

Thomas  B.  Fitzpatrick  ^^'lLLI.uI  E.  Litchfield 

Eliot  Wadsworth 

Greeting  and  Cab  Serdce 

Westley  Jones,  Chairman 
James  M.  Morrison  H.  Staples  Potter 


Hotel  Accommodations  and  Halh 

Henry  E.  Russell,  Chairman 
William  E.  Litchfield  Charles  W.  Robie 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  107 

Invitations 

Bernard  J.  Rothwell,  Chairman 
HuGU  Bancroft  Joseph  B.  Ktssell 

Edmund  Billings  A.  Siicman 

James  A.  McKidben  George  S.  Smitu 

RicuARD  E.  Traiser 

Ladies 

Francis  Peabody,  Jr.,  Chairman 
George  T.  Coppins  Randolph  Frotuingiiaji 

A.  Dudley  Dowd  Joshua  B.  Holden 

Loan  of  Automobiles 

Louis  A.  Coolidge,  Chairman 
Hugh  Bancroft  A.  Dudley  Dowd 

Harry  R.  Wellman,  Secretary 

Local  Excursions 

Walter  C.  Fish,  Chairman 
Hugh  Bancroft  Henry  L.  Kincaide 

Harry  R.  Wellman,  Secretary 

Private  Housing  oj  Guests 

Edgar  N.  Wrightington,  Chairman 
Henry  E.  Russell 


COMMITTEE  ON  FINANCE 

Robert  Winsor,  Chairman 
Frederick  C.  Dumaine  Philip  Stockton 

WiLLi.\M  A.  Gaston  Galen  L.  Stone 

Frank  W.  Stearns  Eugene  V.  R.  Thayer 


COMMITTEE  ON  PUBLICITY 
James  T.  Wetherald,  Chairman 

^WpANDER   DoDDS  WiLLIAM    F.    RoGERS 

inB^AS  J.  Feeney  Carroll  J.  Swan 

George  B.  Gallup  Willi.\m  U.  Swan 

L.  D.  Gibbs  Frank  W.  Tully 

Robert  L.  O'Brien  Richard  J.  Walsh 

J.    P.    YODER 


committee  on  TOUR 

John  H.  Fahey,  Chairman 

Rohkht  W.  Atkins  Howard  H.  Davenport 

WiLLi.vji  P.  F.  Ayer  E.  Elmer  Foye 

Matthew  C.  Brush  Louis  F.  R.  Langelier 

Richard  B.  Carter  Otto  J.  Pieuler 


108 


IXTERXATIOXAL    CONGRESS    OF 


LADIES'   COMMITTEE 


Mrs.  William  H.  Taft  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Eugene  N.  Foss  Mrs. 

Mrs.  John  F.  Fitzgerald  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Gordon  Abbott  Miss 

Miss  Sarah  Louise  Arnold  Miss 

Mrs.  Elmer  J.  Bliss  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Willi.vm  E.  Butler  Mrs. 

Miss  Mart  Goes  Mrs. 

Mrs.  J.  Randolph  Coolidge,  Jr.  Mrs. 

Mrs.  John  H.  Fahey  Mrs. 

Mrs.  a.  Lincoln  Filene  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Willi.\m  A.  Gaston  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Robert  S.  Gorham  Mrs. 

Mrs.  John  Hays  Hammond  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Eugen-e  C.  Hultman  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Mary  Morton  Kehew  Mrs. 

Miss  Katherine  Loring  Mrs. 


A.  Lawrence  Lowell 
James  M.  Morrison 
J.  Henry  Neal 
Mary  Boyle  O'Reilly 
Ellen  F.  Pendleton 
Dudley  L.  Pickman 
James  L.  Richards 
Bernard  J.  Rotuwell 
Joseph  B.  Russell 
Ch.\rles  S.  S.vrgent 
J.  Montgomery  Se.vrs 
George  S.  Smith 
James  J.  Storrow 
J.VMES  T.  Wetherald 
Robert  Winsor 
Roger  Wolcott 
Edgar  N.  Wrighttngton 


SPECIAL  COMMITTEES 

ACCOMPANYING  DELEGATES  ON  THE  AMERICAN  TOUR 

Honorary  Committee 

J.  Randolph  Coolidge,  First  Vice-President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Edward  A.  Filene,  Vice-President  Fifth  International  Congress 

Committee  on  Tour  Arrangements 

John  H.  Fahey,  Chairman 

H.  H.  Daa'enport,  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

James  A.  McKibben,  Secretary-  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Robert  J.  Bottomly,  Secretary  Boston  Executive  Committee 

Julian  Moreno-Lacalle,  Delegate  of  the  Pan-American  Union 

Dr.  Albert  C.  Bonaschi,  Italian  Chamber  of  Commerce,  New  York,  N.Y. 

David  Montt,  Delegate  of  "Sociedad  de  Fomento  Fabril,"  Santiago,  Chile 

Charles  LeDeuc,  Assistant  Secretary 

Mrs.  Charles  LeDeuc,  Secretary  of  the  Ladies'  Committee 

James  J.  Conroy,  Assistant  Secretary 

John  F.  O'Connell,  Secretary  on  Publicity 

P.  D.  Callum,  Representing  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Co. 

Representatives  of  the  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad 
Charles  E.  Colony  James  Gray  J.  E.  Sweeney 


Press  Representatives 

Harry  Hoye,  Ignited  Press 

Ernest  G.  Hall,  "Christian  Science  Monitor"' 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  109 

WORCESTER  COMMITTEES 

The  Chairman  of  the  Committees  appoiuted  by  the  Worcester  Board  of  Trade  were  aa 
follows: 

Edward  M.  Woodward,  General  Committee 
Locis  H.  Buckley,  Committee  on  Itinerary 
George  M.  Bassett,  Committee  on  Banquet 
Albert  H.  Inman,  Committee  on  Automobiles 
Charles  T.  Taxman,  Committee  on  Invitations 
Fred  H.  Daniels,  Committee  on  Congress 
C.  Herbert  DeFosse,  Committee  on  Interpreters 
Henry  A.  Macgowan,  Committee  on  Ladies 
George  A.  P.\rk,  Committee  on  Banquet  Decorations 
Austin  P.  Cristy,  Committee  on  Exterior  Decorations 
Walter  H.  Allen,  Committee  on  Tickets 
Herbert  X.  Davison,  General  Secretary 


BUFFALO  COMMITTEE 

The  Committee  appointed  by  the  Buffalo  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  as  follows: 

W.  E.  Robertson,  Chairman 

E.  J.  Barcalo  Darwin  D.  Martin 

Charles  Clifton  J.  G.  H.  Marvin 

Wm.  H.  Crosby  H.  A.  Meldrum 

J.  C.  DoLD  F.  W.  Pardee 

James  F.  Foster  Eugene  A.  Wolff 


DETROIT  C0M:MITTEES 
The  Committees  appointed  by  the  Detroit  Board  of  Commerce  were  as  follows: 

COMMITTEE  ON  ENTERTAINMENT 

Ward  N.  Choate,  Chairman 
Milton  A.  McR.\e  Philip  Breitmeyer 

Joseph  Mack  C.  Leidich 

J.  J.  Crowley  Charles  B.  Sawyer 

H.    T.    EWALD  C.    H.    GifFORD 

Hiram  Marks 

committee  on  tour 

Roy  D.  Chapin,  Chairman 
George  M.  Black  J.  W.  Anderson 

S.  D.  Waldon  Lucius  E.  Wilson 

C.  Haines  Wilson 

COMMITTEE  ON  BANQUET 

Robert  B.  Tannahill,  Chairman 
Frederick  H.  Holt  Carl  M.  Green 


no  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

COMMITTEE  ON  FINANCE 

M.  J.  MrRPHY,  Chairman 
A.  H.  CiREEX,  Jr.  J.  Newton  Gcnn 

jAilES   T.    WUITEHEAD 

committee  on  transportation 
George  W.  Parker 

COMMITTEE  ON  RECEPTION 

Ward  N.  Ciioate  Cuarles  A.  Brownell 

Philip  Breitmei'er  Joseph  Mack 

Lucius  E.  Wilson  William  B.  Wreford 

committee  on  ladies 
Mrs.  R.  H.  Ashbaugh 


CHICAGO   COMMITTEES 

In  addition  to  the  great  Reception  Committee  containing  200  members,  the  active  Com- 
mittees in  Chicago  were : 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE 

T.  Edward  Wilder,  Chairman;  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 

Frank  M.  Bunch,  Vice-Chairman;  Board  of  Trade  of  the  City  of  Chicago 

George  M.  Reynolds,  Treasurer;  Continental  and  Commercial  National  Bank 

Douglas  Mallocu,  Secretarj-;  Press  Club  of  Chicago 

Elmer  H.  Adams,  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 

James  S.  Ag.vr,  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 

WILLI.^:M  B.  Austin,  Hamilton  Club  of  Chicago 

Alfred  Baker,  City  Club 

Mrs.  George  Bass,  Chicago  Woman's  Club 

Frederick  Bode,  Industrial  Club 

William  A.  Bond,  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 

Miss  S.  P.  Breckinridge,  Woman's  City  Club 

Ira  M.  Core,  Chicago  Automobile  Club 

James  G.  Condon,  Iroquois  Club 

Richmond  Dean,  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 

Frederick  A.  Delano 

Samuel  Deutsch,  Standard  Club 

F.  W.  Edwards,  Illinois  Club 

Walter  Fitch,  South  Shore  Country  Club 

Hamlin  Garland,  Cliff  Dwellers 

H.  C.  Gardner,  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 

August  Gatzert,  Chicago  Association  of  Connnorce 

John  M.  Glenn,  Illinois  Manufacturers'  Association 

Charles  E.  Gregory,  Chicago  Motor  Club 

Richard  C.  Hall,  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 

Carter  H.  Harrison,  Mayor  of  City  of  Chicago 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE 


111 


Dr.  a.  ^^'.  Harris,  Union  League  Club 
W.  A.  Heatu,  Bankers'  Club 
Dr.  Emil  G.  Hirsch,  Sinai  Temple 
Lawrence  Heyavorth,  Cahunet  Club 
Joseph  Joyce,  Irish  Fellowship  Club 

Alexander  A.  McCormick,  Chairman  Reception  Committee,  Chicago  Association  of  Com- 
merce 
F.  B.  Montgomery,  Traffic  Club  of  Chicago 
Frederick  S.  Oliver,  Chicago  Real  Estate  Board 
Ch.\rles  Piez,  Illinois  Manufacturers'  Association 
Wm.  H.  Reum,  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 

JULIU.S    ROSENWALD 

Harry  Rubens,  Jr.,  Gcrmania  Club 
John  S.  Rcnnells,  Chicago  Club 

Frank  T.  Scanlan,  Chicago  Transportation  Association 
Francis  T.  Simmons,  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 
Edward  M.  Skinner,  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 
John  F.  Smulski,  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 
John  T.  Stockton,  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 
Albert  Wahl,  Cook  County  Real  Estate  Board 
Charles  J.  Webb,  Illinois  Athletic  Club 
Carleton  White,  Chicago  Athletic  Association 
Thomas  E.  Wilson,  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce 


FINANCE  COMMITTEE 

George  M.  Reynolds,  Chairman 
H.\RRY  A.  Wheeler,  Vice-Chairman 


Frederick  Bode 
J.\^es  S.  Ag.^r 
Frank  M.  Bunch 
Ch.vrles  G.  Dawes 
Richmond  De.\n 
h.  c.  g.^rdner 
John  M.  Glenn 


Carter  H.  Harrison 
Eugene  U.  Kimbark 
Charles  Piez 
John  C.  Roth 
Julius  Rosenwald 
John  F.  Smuuski 
Fred  W.  Upham 


John  H.  \\'ood 


entertainment  committee 
Frank  M.  Bunch,  Ch;urman 


F.  B.  Montgomery 
C.  E.  Bartley 
Richard  C.  Hall 
George  E.  M.\rcy 


Charles  E.  Gregory, 
John  E.  Wilder 
John  T.  Stockton 
Francis  T.  Simmons 
N.  H.  Van  Sicklen 


publicity  committee 

Douglas  Malloch,  Chairman 

Malcolm  McDowell  William  Hudson  Harper 

Hubert  F.  Miller 


112 


INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 


CINCINNATI   COMMITTEES 


GENERAL   COMMITTEE 


Representing  the  Cincinnati  Biisiness  Men's  Club,  The  Cincinnati  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  The  Cincinnati  Commercial  Association 
W.  E.  HuTTON,  Chairman;  President  The  Business  Men's  Club 
Thos.  p.  Egan,  Vice-Chairman 

Walter  A.  Draper,  Vice-Chairman;  President  Chamber  of  Commerce 
George  F.  Dieterle,  Vice-Chairman;  President  Cincinnati  Commercial  Association 
Otto  Armleder,  Treasurer 

Carl  Dehoney,  Secretary;  Secretary  and  Manager  Cincinnati  Commercial  Association 
George  Puchta,  Chairman  Entertainment  Committee 


E.  H.  Bardes 
Wm.  a.  Hopkins 
Samuel  L.  Moyer 
E.  L.  Sternberger 
Frederick  A.  Geier 
Chas.  Wiedemann 
H.  C.  Mather 
H.  F.  Cellakius 
James  N.  Gamble 
William  Lodge 
James  P.  Orr 
Herman  Kirschner 
E.  W.  Edwahds 

C.  W.  Shipley 

J.    B.    DOAN 

M.vx  Hirsch 
George  W.  Weedon 
Thomas  I.  Schultz 
Rudolph  H.  Wurlitzer 
J.  F.  Taylor 
E.  F.  Du  Brul 

D.  B.  Meacham 

B.  H.  Kroger 
Wm.  H.  Muench 
e.  f.  lunken 
Wm.  B.  Melish 
Maurice  J.  Freiberg 
Leonard  S.  Smith 
Julius  Fleiscumann 
A.  P.  Hagemeyer 
Charles  Pfau 

W.  W.  Taylor 

C.  L.  Harrison 
George  R.  Balch 


RECEPTION   COMMITTEE 

John  L.  Suuff,  Chairman 

E.  W.  Lynd 
James  C.  Hobart 
H.  T.  Atkins 
Si  p.  Egan 
H.  C.  Yeiser 

A.  W.  Macbrair 
J.  R.  Clark. 
Irwin  M.  Krohn 
R.  K.  Le  Blond 
H.  B.  Closson 
Dwight  S.  Marfield 
Lazard  Kahn 

J.  Charles  McCullough 

G.    A.    WiLLEY 

Wm.  L.  Doepke 
R.  A.  Cowing 
W.  H.  Schmidlapp 
E.  p.  Harrison 
Henry  E.  Deckebach 

B.  F.  Dulwt;ber 
L.  A.  Ault 
Frank  H.  Simpson 
Geo.  B.  Hawley 
W.  D.  Thalheimer 
Murray  Shipley 
Jos.  T.  Carew 
Hon.  J.  B.  Forakeb 
Wm.  a.  Windisch 
Napoleon  Du  Brul 
Alfred  K.  Nippert 
Charles  Lewis 
Franklin  Alter 

J.  Stacey  Hill 
George  W.  Martin 


i 


CHAMBERS  OF    COMMERCE  113 

N.  W.  Strobridge  Ph.  Morton 

Edward  G.  Pfau  T.  J.  Moffett 

John  E.  C.  Kohlsaat  B.  W.  Campbell 

Ed.  Fucker  August  Ferger 

James  C.  Ernst  H.  O.  Wente 


DAYTON   CO:\IMITTEE 

The  Dayton  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  assisted  by  the  Welfare  Department  of  the 
National  Cash  Register  Company,  the  Daj'ton  Bicycle  Club  and  a  Citizens'  Reception  Com- 
mittee of  One  Hundred.    The  Committee  of  the  Dayton  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  as  follows: 

Edw.ard  E.  Burkh.vrt  Fred  Rike 

E.  A.  Deeds  Frank  McCormick,  Jr. 

J.  W.  White 


PITTSBURGH   COMMITTEES 

The  Delegates  were  the  guests  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  City  of  Pittsburgh, 
the  principal  OflBciab  and  Committees  being  as  follows : 

CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE  OF  PITTSBURGH 

William  H.  Stevenson,  President 
D.  P.  Black,  First  Vice-President 
Robert  Garland,  Second  Vice-President 
John  B.  Barbour,  Third  Vice-President 
H.  M.  Landis,  Treasurer 
Logan  McKee,  Secretary 
RoBT.  W.  Barbour,  Assistant  Secretary 
Ira  S.  B.\ssett,  Traffic  Manager 

COMMITTEE  ON  ENTERTAINMENT 

W.  S.  Brown,  Chairman 

James  Francis  Bcrke  A.  A.  Hamerschlag 

DA\^D  F.  Collxnowood  T.  J.  Keenan 

Wm.  H.  DA\^s  Fr.\nk  J.  Lanahan 

Willi.vm  Flinn  H.  M.  Landis 

Wm.  M.  Furey  R.  L.  O'Donnel 

C.  A.  Rook 


CITY  OF   PITTSBURGH 

Hon.  Wm.  A.  Magee,  Mayor 

Council 

Hon.  E.  V.  Babcock  Hon.  J.  P.  McArdle 

Hon.  Robert  Garl.4.nd  Hon.  Enoch  Rauh 

Hon.  W.  a.  Hoeveler  Hon.  W.  G.  Wilkins 

Hon.  J.  P.  Kerr  Hon.  S.  S.  Woodburn 


\ 


114  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 


WASHINGTON   COMMITTEE 

The  Committee  representing  the  Washington  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  aa  follows: 

D.  J.  Kaufman,  Chairman 
James  F.  Otster  D.  J.  Callahan 

Thomas  Grant 


PHILADELPHIA   COMMITTEES 

The  Committees  appointed  by  the  commercial  organizations  of  Philadelphia  were  as 
follows: 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE 

Edward  R.  Wood,  Chairman 
Charles  Z.  Trton  B.  Franklin  Betts 

Dr.  William  P.  Wilson  William  R.  Tucker,  Secretary 

JOINT   COMMITTEE 

Philadelphia  Board  of  Trade 
Edwakd  R.  Wood  Frank  D.  La  Lanne 

Chas,  J.  Cohen 

Philadelphia  Bourse 

Geo.  R.  Yarrow  Philip  Godley 

Cyrus  Borgner 

Philadelphia  Maritime  Exchange 

E.  R.  Sharwood  Walter  F.  Hagar 

Jas.  B.  Bonner 

Philadelphia  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Chas.  Z.  Tryon  N.  B.  Kelly 

W.  0.  Hempste.u) 

Philadelphia  Drug  Exchange 

Chas.  E.  Hires  A.  Robinson  McIlvaine 

An'thony  M.  Hance 

Master  Builders'  Exchange 

Wm.  B.  Irvine  Col.  John  R.  Wiggins 

Franklin  AL  IL-vrris,  Jr. 

Philadelphia  Commercial  Exchange 

Samuel  L.  McKnigut  Louis  G.  Graff 

Watson  W.  Walton 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  115 

Grocers'  and  Importers'  Exchange 

Wm.  C.  Halpen,  Jr.  H.  H.  Brown 

H.  G.  Flint 

Merchants'  and  Manufacturers'  Association 

Calvin  M.  Smyth  J.  Howell  Cummings 

Frank  S.  Evans 

Lumbermen's  Exchange 

B.  Franklin  Betts  S.  B.  Vrooman 

Tnos.  B.  H.^AiMER 

Hardware  Merchants'  and  Manufacturers'  Association 

T.  James  Fernlet  Dr.  E.  E.  Brown 

Frank  Gould 

Commercial  Museum 
Dr.  Wm.  P.  Wilson 

Manufacturers'  Club 

Thos.  F.  Armstrong  J.  Howell  Cummings 

Ctbtts  H.  K.  Curtis 


NEW  YORK   COMMITTEES 

In  addition  to  the  large  Reception  Committee,  the  active  General  Committee  in  New 
York  was  as  follows: 

The  Merchants'  Association  of  New  York 

William  A.  M.\rble  Herm.\n  A.  Metz 

William  Crawford  Louis  Annin  Ames 

Benjamin  D.  Traitel  Thomas  H.  Downing 

Marcus  M.  Marks  John  W.  Lieb,  Jr. 

S.  C.  Mead,  Secretary 


The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York 

Welding  Ring  E.  H.  Outerbridge 

Charles  L.  Bernheimer  Julio  F.  Sorzano 

Maurice  L.  Muuleman  S.  S.  Pratt,  Secretary 


The  New  York  Produce  Exchange 

John  Aspegren  E.  R.  Carhart 

J.  G.  Gash  William  H.  Douglas 

Charles  W.  Bowring  W.  B.  Pollock 

L.  B.  Howe,  Secretary 


116  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS 


American  Manufacturers'  Export  Association 

M.  DE  MoREiRA  Robert  C.  KAiiifEREH 

O.  W.  Smith  W.  N.  Dickinson 

H.  T.  Wills,  Secretary 


The  Pan-American  Society 

C.  A.  Green  William  C.  Downs 

Luis  F.  Corea  Thomas  A.  Eddy 

Frederic  Brown,  Secretary' 


The  Italian  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New  York 

G.  R.  Schroeder  GrsTAV  Forges 

LuiGi  SoLARi  Ercole  Locatelli 

ACHILLE   StARACE 


The  Netherlands  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  America 

P.   A.   PmCOFFS  P.    C.   KtJYPER 

T.  Greidantts,  Secretary 

The  Swedish  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New  York 

g.  h.  lundbeck  coxtnt  j.  w.  h.  hamilton 

Alfred  Richardson  E.  E.  Johnson 

Hans  Lagerlof,  Secretary 

Consolidated  Stock  Exchange 
M.  E.  de  Aguero 


HisJt  of  Commercial  (Drgani^ationsf 

AFFILIATED  WITH   THE  PERMANENT  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  INTERNATIONAL   CONGRESSES 

OF  CHAMBERS  OF  COMMERCE  AND   COMMERCIAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL 

ASSOCIATIONS,   1912 

ARGENTINA 

Rosario  de  Santa  Fe  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Tucuman  —  Bolsa  de  Comercio 


AUSTRIA-HUNGARY 
AUSTRIA 

Bozen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry' 

Briinn  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Cracow  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Eger  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Goritz  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Graz  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Innsbruck  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industrj' 

Klagenfurth  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Laibach  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Lemberg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Olmiitz  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Pilsen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Prague  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

F*rague  —  The  Export  Association  of  Bohemia,  Silesia  and  Moravia 

Prague  —  Nove  Obchodni  Gremium 

Ragusa  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Reichenberg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Roveredo  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Rovigo  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Trieste  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Troppau  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Intkistry 

Vienna  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Vienna  —  Association  of  Colonial  Produce  Merchants 

Vienna  —  Austrian  Export  Society 

Vienna  —  Central  Association  of  Austrian  Manufacturers 

Vienna  —  Central  Association  of  Austrian  Merchants 

Vienna  —  Lower  Austrian  Association  for  the  Promotion  of  Handicraft 

Vienna  —  Manufacturers'  Association 

Vienna  —  Merchants'  Guild 

117 


118  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

HUNGARY 

Agram  (Croatia)  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Arad  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Brosso  —  Chaml)er  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Budapest  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry* 

Budapest  —  Association  of  Hungarian  Merchants 

Budapest  —  Hungarian  Commercial  Association 

Budapest  —  Hungarian  Inchistrial  Association 

Budapest  —  Hungarian  National  Association  of  Chemical  Industry 

Budapest  —  National  Hungarian  Commercial  Association 

Budapest  —  National  Union  of  Hungarian  Merchants 

Debreczen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Gyor  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Kaschau  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industrj' 

Kolozsvar  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Nagyvarad  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Osijek-Eszek  ( Croatia-Slavonia)  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Pozsony  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Soprony  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Szegedin  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Temesvar  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 


BELGIUM 
Bruges  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Brussels  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Brussels  —  L' Association  gcnerale  des  Meuniers  Beiges 
Brussels  —  L'Association  des  Fabricants  de  Glaces 
Brussels  —  British  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Belgium 
Brussels  —  French  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Brussels  —  French  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 
Brussels  —  Italian  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Brussels  —  Netherlands  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Brussels  —  Union  of  International  Associations 
Charleroi  —  French  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Courtrai-Roulers  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Ghent  —  Commercial  and  Industrial  Club 
Ghent  —  L'Association  cotonniere 
Hasselt  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Limbourg 
Liege  —  La  Bourse  Industrielle 

Liege  —  L'Association  des  Licencids  sortis  de  I'Universit^  de  Li^ge 
Mens  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 
Mons  —  L'Association  houillerc  du  Couchant 
Ostend  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Ypres  —  Commercial  and  Industrial  Club 

BRAZIL 

Manaos  —  Commercial  Association  of  the  Amazon 

Para  —  Garantia  da  .\mazonia 

Rio  de  Janeiro  —  Academy  of  Commerce 

Rio  de  Janeiro  —  Commercial  Association 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  119 

Rio  de  Janeiro  —  Commercial  Museum 

Rio  de  Janeiro  —  Council  of  the  Merchants  and  Ship  Brokers 
Rio  de  Janeiro  —  Federation  of  Commercial  Associations  of  Brazil 
Rio  de  Janeiro  —  International  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Brazil 
Santos  —  Commercial  Association 

BULGARIA 

Plovdiv  (Philippopolis)  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Rustchuck  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Sofia  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Varna  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Varna  —  La  Corporation  des  Xegociants  en  COr^ales 


CHILE 

Santiago  —  Sociedad  de  Foment o  Fabril 
Santiago  —  French  Chamber  of  Commerce 


CHINA 

Hongkong  —  Sze  Yap  Commercial  Guild 
Shanghai  —  General  Chamber  of  Commerce 


CUBA 

Havana  —  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Industry  and  Navigation  of  the  Island  of  Cuba 
Havana  —  Union  of  Manufacturers  of  Liquors  and  Distillers  of  the  Island  of  Cuba 


DENMARK 

Copenhagan  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Copenhagen  —  Grosserer  Societetets  Komite 


ECUADOR 

Guayaquil  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Agriculture 
Quito  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

EGYPT 
Cairo  —  International  Chamber  of  Commerce 


FRANCE 
Agen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Angouleme  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Bar-le-Duc  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Belfort  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Bourg  (Ain)  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Bourges  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 


120  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Dunkirk  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Honfleur  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Limoges  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Marseilles  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Marseilles  —  Syndicat  des  Importateurs  de  Craines  Olc^agineuses 

Montpelier  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Nancy  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Nantes  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Paris  —  Chamber  of  Conmierce 

Paris  —  American  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Paris  —  Austria-Hungarian  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Paris  —  Belgian  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Paris  —  British  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Paris  —  Italian  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Paris  —  Netherlands  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Paris  —  Ottoman  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Paris  —  Russian  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Paris  —  Spanish  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Paris  —  Union  des  Chambres  de  Commerce  fran^aises  h  TEtranger 

Paris  —  Comit6  commercial  franco-allemand 

Reims  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Roubaix  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Rouen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Tourcoing  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Tours  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Versailles  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

FRENCH   POSSESSIONS  —  ALGIERS 

Gran  —  Cham])or  of  Commerce 
Philippeville  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 


GERMANY 

Aix-la-Chapelle  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Barmen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Berlin  —  Doutscher  Handelstag 

Berlin  —  Die  Altesten  der  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin 

Berlin  —  Cliambcr  of  Commerce 

Berlin  —  Handclsvcrtragsverein 

Berlin  —  Verband  deutscher  Waren-  und  Kaufhauser 

Berlin  —  American  Association  of  Commerce  and  Trade 

Berlin  —  Ccntralverband  des  deutschen  Bank-  und  Bankiergewerbes 

Berlin  —  Deutsch-franzusischcr  Wirtschaft8\"erein 

Bonn  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Bremen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Breslau  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Brunswick  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Chemnitz  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Cologne  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Cologne  —  Gewcrbe-Vercin 

Cologne  —  International  Association  of  Hotel-keepers 

Cologne  —  \'ercin  der  Industrielleu  des  Regierungs-Bezirks 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  121 

Danzig  —  Vorsteheramt  der  Kaufmanaschaft 

Dortmund  —  Chamber  of  Coniiiierce 

Dresden  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Dresden  —  Export-\'erein  im  KcuiiKreich  Sachsen 

Dresden  —  Vcrband  sachsisoher  Industriellcr 

Diisseldorf  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Diisseldorf  —  Nethcrhinds  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Elberfeld  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Erfurt  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Essen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Frankfort-on-the-Main  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Frankfort-on-the-Main  —  Vereinigung  der  Exportfirmea 

Halberstadt  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Halle  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Hamburg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Hanover  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Heidelberg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Hildesheim  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Karlsruhe  —  Handelskammer  fur  die  Ivreise  Karlsruhe  und  Baden 

Konigsberg  —  Verein  deutscher  Ingenieure 

Leipzig  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Liibeck  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Magdeburg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mannheim  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Miinster  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Neugersdorf  —  ^'erband  siichsischer  Industrieller 

Nuremberg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Plauen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Regensburg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Sonneberg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Sorau  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Stolberg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Strassburg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Stuttgart  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Treves  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Wiirzburg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 


GREAT   BRITAIN   AND   BRITISH   POSSESSIONS 
ENGLAND 

Barrow-in-Fumerss  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Birkenhead  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Bradford  —  Inrorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Bradford  —  Dyers'  Association 

Bristol  —  Incorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Shipping 

Cheltenham  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Croydon  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Derby  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Dudley  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Halifax  —  Incorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Huddersfield  —  Incorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Liverpool  —  Incorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce 


122  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

London  —  British  Imperial  Council  of  Commerce 

London  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

London  —  ^Miolesale  Stationers'  Association 

London  —  Austria-Hungarian  Chamber  of  Commerce 

London  —  Canadian  Chamber  of  Commerce 

London  —  Netherlands  Chamber  of  Commerce 

London  —  Swedish  Chamber  of  Commerce 

London  —  Federation  of  Foreign  Chambers  of  Commerce  in  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great 

Britain  and  Ireland 
Manchester  —  British  Weights  &  Measures  Association 
Nottingham  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Reading  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Sheffield  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Wakefield  —  Incorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Shipping 
Walsall  —  Incorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce 

IREL.\ND 

Cork  —  Incorporated  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Shipping 
Dublin  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

SCOTLAND 
Aberdeen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Dundee  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Edinburgh  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Manufacturers 
Leith  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

ADEN,   ARABIA 
Aden  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

AUSTRALIA 
Melbourne  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

BAHAMAS 
Nassau  —  The  Bahamas  Chamber  of  Commerce 

BERMUDA 
Hamilton  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

BRITISH   EAST   AFRICA 
Nairobi  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

CANADA 

Belleville  —  Board  of  Trade 

Moncton  —  Board  of  Trade 

Montreal  —  Board  of  Trade 

Montreal  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Montreal  —  L' Association  des  Marchands  diitailleurs  du  Canada 

New  Westminster  —  Board  of  Trade 

Ottawa  —  Board  of  Trade 

Quebec  —  Board  of  Trade 

Sherbrooke  —  Board  of  Trade 

St.  Catharine's  —  Board  of  Trade 

St.  John.  N.  B.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Toronto  —  Board  of  Trade 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  123 

INDIA 
Calcutta  —  Bengal  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Delhi  —  Punjab  Chamber  of  Commerce 

JAMAICA 
Kingston  —  Royal  Jamaica  Society  of  Agriculture  and  Commerce  &  Merchants'  Exchange 

NEW    ZEALAND 
Auckland  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Christchurch  —  Canterbury  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Dunedin  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Invercargill  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Napier  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Wanganui  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Wellington  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

SINGAPORE 
Singapore  —  Chinese  Chamber  of  Commerce 

SOUTH   AFRICA 
Cape  Town  —  South  African  Manufacturers'  Association 

TASMANIA 
Launceston  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

TRINIDAD 
Port  of  Spain  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 


GREECE 

Athens  —  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  the  Levant 

Patras  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Piraeus  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 


HONDURAS 
Tegucigalpa  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

ITALY 

Alessandria  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industrj' 
Bari  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Bergamo  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Bologna  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Brescia  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Carrara  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Catania,  Sicily  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Catanzaro  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 


124  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Cuneo  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Fermo  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Florence  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Foggia  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Genoa  —  British  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Girgenti  —  Cliamber  of  Commerce 

Lecce  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Lodi  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Lucca  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Milan  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Milan  —  Associazione  fra  Commercianti,  Esercenti  ed  Industriali 

Milan  —  Associazone  fra  Commercianti  ed  Industriali  in  Pelliccerie 

Milan  —  Associazione  Granaria 

Milan  —  Circolo  per  gli  Interessi  Agricoli,  Commerciali  ed  Industriali 

Milan  —  Consorzio  fra  gli  Industriali  meccanici  e  metallurgici 

Milan  —  Federazione  Commcrciale  c  Industriale  Italiana 

Milan  —  Federazione  Internazionale  Cotoniera 

Milan  —  Agricultural  Association  of  Lombardy 

Modena  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Monza  —  Federazione  Industriali 

Naples  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Naples  —  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  Italy 

Padua  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Palermo  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Piacenza  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Pisa  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Rome  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Susa  —  Society  Anonima  Banchiero 

Syracuse  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Turin  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Turin  —  Associazione  Generale  esercenti,  commercianti  ed  industriali 

Venice  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Verona  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 


JAPAN 

Kobe  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Osaka  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Tokyo  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Yokohama  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Yokohama  —  Foreign  Board  of  Trade 


LUXEMBOURG 
Luxembourg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

MEXICO 

Hermosillo  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Vera  Cruz  —  National  Chamber  of  Commerce 


\ 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  125 


NETHERLANDS 

Amsterdam  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Dordrecht  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Haarlem  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Haarlem  —  Miiatscliai)[)ij  van  Nijvcrhcid 

Rotterdam  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Tilburg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Vlaardingen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 


NORWAY 

Bergen  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Bergen  —  The  Bourse 

Christiania  —  Den  Norske  Export na?ringers  Landsforbund 

Christiania  —  Den  Norske  Fiellesforening  for  Haandverk  og  Industri 

Christiania  —  Den  Norske  Handelsstands  Faellesforening 

Christiania  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Christiania  —  Handelsstands  Forening 

Christiania  —  Import-Export  Agenters  Forening 

Trondhjem  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 


PERU 

Callao  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Lima  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Lima  —  Stock  Exchange 
Piura  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 


PORTUGAL 

Elvas  —  Conmiercial,  Industrial  and  Agricultural  Association 

Lisbon  —  Agricultural,  Commercial  and  Industrial  Union 

Lisbon  —  Centro  Colonial 

Lisbon  —  Commercial  Association 

Lisbon  —  Geographical  Society 

Lisbon  —  British  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  Portugal 

PORTUGUESE   POSSESSIONS  —  AZORES 
Ponta  Delgada,  SSlo  Miguel  —  Commercial  Association 


ROUMANIA 

Bucharest  —  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  the  Levant 
Crajova  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 


126  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 


RUSSIA 

Baku.  Transcaucasia,  Asiatic  Russia  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Helsingfors  —  Fiiiska  Haudelsdek-gationen 
Riga  —  Bourse 
^St.  Petersburg  —  Association  of  Industry  and  Commerce  of  Russia 
St.  Petersburg  —  Russo-British  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Warsaw  —  Towarzystwo  Przcmyslo\vc6w 
Warsaw  —  Association  of  PoUsh  Merchants 


SPAIN 

Barcelona  —  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Industry  and  Navigation 

Barcelona  —  Fomcnto  del  Trabajo  Nacional 

Barcelona  —  French  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Gerona  —  Official  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Industry  and  Navigation 

Madrid  —  Official  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  Province 

Madrid  —  Official  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Industry  and  Navigation 

Madrid  —  Official  Chamber  of  Industry  of  the  Province 

Madrid  —  French  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Saragossa  —  Official  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Valencia  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Valladolid  —  Official  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industrj' 


SWEDEN 

Gefle  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Goteborg  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Jonkoping  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Malmo  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Stockholm  —  General  Export  Association  of  Sweden 

Stockholm  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Stockholm  —  Merchants'  Club 


SWITZERLAND 

Basel  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Berne  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry  for  the  Canton 

Geneva  —  Swiss  L^nion  of  Commerce  and  Industry 

Geneva  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Geneva  —  French  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Geneva  —  Italian  Chamber  of  Commerce 

St.  Gall  —  Direct orium  dcs  Ncl^'gociants 

Zurich  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 


TURKEY 

Constantinople  —  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  for  the  Levant 
Constantinople  —  Hellenic  Chamber  of  Commerce 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  127 


UNITED    STATES   OF   AMERICA 

Akron,  Ohio  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Albany,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Baltimore,  Md.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Bangor,  Maine  —  Maine  State  Board  of  Trade 

Bay  City,  Mich.  —  Board  of  Commerce 

Birmingham,  Ala.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Boston,  Mass.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Boston,  Mass.  —  Fruit  and  Produce  Exchange 

Boston,  Mass.  —  Massachusetts  State  Board  of  Trade 

Boston,  Mass.  —  Music  Trade  Association 

Boston.  Mass.  —  New  England  Ihu-dware  Dealers'  A.S30ciation 

Boston.  Mass.  —  New  England  Shoe  and  Leather  Association 

Boston.  Mass.  —  Real  Estate  Exchange  and  Auction  Board 

Boston,  Mass.  —  Stationers'  Association 

Brockton,  Mass.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Buffalo,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Chicago,  111.  —  Association  of  Commerce 

Chicago,  111.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Chicago,  111.  —  Illinois  Manufacturers'  Association 

Chicago,  111.  —  National  Business  League  of  America 

Cincinnati.  Ohio  —  Business  Men's  Club 

Cincinnati,  Ohio  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Cincinnati,  Ohio  —  Commercial  Association 

Cleveland,  Ohio  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Dallas,  Texas  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Davenport,  Iowa  —  Commercial  Club 

Davenport,  Iowa  —  Greater  Davenport  Committee 

Dayton,  Ohio  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Decatur.  111.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Denver,  Colo.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Detroit,  Mich.  —  Board  of  Commerce 

Eureka,  Calif.  —  Humboldt  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Fall  River,  Mass.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Fitchburg.  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade  and  Merchants'  Association 

Fort  Worth,  Texas  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Framingham,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Geneva.  N.  Y.  —  Ciiamber  of  Commerce 

Haverhill,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Holyoke,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Houston.  Texas  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Indianapohs,  Ind.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Indianapohs,  Ind.  —  Commercial  Club 

Kalamazoo.  Mich.  —  Commercial  Club 

Kansas  City.  Mo.  —  Commercial  Club 

Key  West.  Fla.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Kingston,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Los  Angeles.  Calif.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Louisville,  Ky.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Lowell.  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Lynn,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Ljrrm,  Mass.  —  Merchants'  Association 


128  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Maiden,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Milwaukee,  Wis.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Minneapolis,  Minn.  —  Civic  and  Commerce  Association 

Newark,  N.  J.  —  Board  of  Trade 

New  Bedford,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

New  Britain,  Conn.  —  Busine.ss  Men's  Association 

Newburyport,  Mass.  —  Business  Men's  Association 

New  Haven,  Conn.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

New  London,  Corm.  —  State  Business  Men's  Association 

New  Orleans,  La.  —  Progressive  Union 

New  York,  N.  Y.  —  American  Manufacturers'  Export  Association 

New  York,  N.  Y.  —  Board  of  Trade  and  Transportation 

New  York,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York 

New  York,  N.  Y.  —  Merchants'  Association 

New  York,  N.  Y.  —  National  Association  of  Manufacturers 

New  York,  N.  Y.  —  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  Borough  of  the  Bronx 

New  York,  N.  Y.  —  Produce  Exchange 

New  York,  N.  Y.  —  Italian  Chamber  of  Commerce 

New  York,  N.  Y.  —  Netherlands  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  America 

New  York,  N.  Y.  —  Swedish  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Norfolk,  Va.  —  Board  of  Trade  and  Business  Men's  Association 

North  Attleboro,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Oakland,  Calif.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Passaic,  N.  J.  —  New  Jersej'  State  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Philadelphia,  Pa.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Philadelphia,  Pa.  —  Bourse 

Philadelphia,  Pa.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Philadelphia,  Pa.  —  Commercial  Museum 

Philadelphia,  Pa.  —  Maritime  Exchange 

Philadelphia,  Pa.  —  National  Board  of  Trade 

Pine  Bluff,  Ark.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Pittsburgh,  Pa.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Portland,  Maine  —  Board  of  Trade 

Providence,  R.  I.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Providence,  R.  I.  —  Manufacturing  Jewelers'  Board  of  Trade 

Reading,  Pa.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Rochester,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Rome,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Richmond,  Va.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Sacramento,  Calif.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

St.  Louis,  Mo.  —  Business  Men's  League 

St.  Louis,  Mo.  —  Merchants'  Exchange 

St.  Paul,  Minn.  —  Association  of  Commerce 

San  Antonio,  Texas  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

San  Francisco,  Calif.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Seattle,  Wash.  —  New  Seattle  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Somerville,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Spokane,  Wash.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Springfield,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Syracuse,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Toledo,  Ohio  —  Commerce  Club 

Troy,  N.  Y.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Waltham,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  ^   129 

Washington,  D.  C.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  United  States  of  America 

Washington,  D.  C.  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Washington,  D.  C.  —  Pan-American  Union 

Westerly,  R.  I.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Worcester,  Mass.  —  Board  of  Trade 

Youngstown,  Ohio  —  Cluvmber  of  Commerce 


Possessions  of  the  United  States  of  America 
HAWAII 
Honolulu  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

PHILIPPINE   ISLANDS 
Manila  —  Merchants'  Association 

URUGUAY 

Montevideo  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Montevideo  —  Cdmara  Mercantil  de  Productos  del  Pals 

VENEZUELA 
Caracas  —  Chamber  of  Commerce 


i 


g)tenosrapf)ic  l\eport  of  Official  ^efi^fiious; 

FIFTH    INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF    CHAMBERS   OF    COMMERCE    AND    COMMERCIAL   AND 

INDUSTRIAL   ASSOCIATIONS,   AT  BOSTON,   MASSACHUSETTS,  U.S.A. 

SEPTEMBER  24,  25   AND  26 


jfirsit  ^tumn 

The  session  was  called  to  order  in  the  ball-room  of  the  Copley  Plaza  Hotel,  at  10.28 
A.M.,  September  24,  1912,  President  Louis  Canox-Legrand  in  the  chair.  At  the  desk,  Gen- 
eral Secretary'  £mile  Jottrand  and  Dr.  Max  Apt. 

On  the  platform,  Hon.  Charles  Nagel,  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  for  the  United 
States,  Hon.  Eugene  N.  Foss,  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  Hon.  John  F.  Fitzgerald, 
Mayor  of  Boston,  Mr.  Edward  A.  Filene,  Vice-President  of  the  International  Congress 
and  Mr.  George  S.  Smith,  President  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1911. 


ADDRESS    OF    WELCOME 

Mr.  George  S.  Smith,  Chairman  of  the  Boston  Executive  Committee  and  President  of  the 
Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1911 

Delegates,  Gentlemen,  Friends  from  the  four  comers  of  this  wide  world,  I  give  you  greeting. 

On  behalf  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  business  men  of  Boston,  the  men 
and  women  who  have  for  weeks  and  months  labored  hard  and  faithfullj-  to  make  this  Congress 
a  great  constructive  success,  I  extend  to  j'ou  a  most  cordial  and  heartfelt  welcome,    (ilppfau.se.) 

From  the  verj'  first  those  of  us  who  have  been  the  more  closely  identified  with  the  plans 
for  this  Congress  have  had  but  one  high  conception. 

The  comer  stone  and  the  building  to  stand  for  intemational  goo<l  will  brought  about 
directly  through  the  hannonizing  and  unifying  of  great  intemational  commercial  practices; 
through  commercial  exchange  between  individuals  and  nations;  those  commercial  exchanges 
to  be  initiated  and  extended  upon  the  highest  lines  of  national  and  international  probitj-  and 
honor;  upon  the  highest  lines  of  individual  dignity,  integrity,  with  the  keynote,  the  recognition 
of  mutuality  of  interest.    {Applause.) 

Anil  in  that  spirit,  gentlemen,  anil  in  recognition  that  our  atmosphere  here  is  permeated 
with  practical  ideality,  1  a^^k  the  reprc'^entatives  of  each  of  the  forty-six  nations  of  the  earth 
to,  in  turn,  forge  one  link  that  stands  for  the  commercial  strength  of  your  countr>',  and  bring 
those  forty-six  links  and  lay  them  here  upon  the  forge  of  this  Congre.s.s,  and  we  in  turn  will 
endeavor  to  take  thoi'e  links  upon  the  anvil  of  international  good  will,  and  link  them  into  a 
mighty  chain  of  intemational  honor,  of  mutuality  in  commercial  practice,  and  stretch  that 
chain  all  around  this  world,  encircling  it  securely  with  the  compact  commercial  world  repre- 

131 


132  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

eented  by  all  the  nations,  who  are  after  all  of  one  blood,  and  one  aspiration  and  one  purpose, 
and  that  the  practical  ideals  may  be  bound  together,  one  and  inseparable. 

And  in  this  spirit  I  give  you  Boston's  cordial  greeting  and  express  Boston's  most  solicitous 
hope  that  this  Congress  will  immediately  take  form  in  constructive  results,  and  that  the  influ- 
ence of  this  Fifth  International  Congress  will  be  cumulative,  and  go  down  through  all  the  ages, 
spelling  progress  as  to  the  equitable  and  harmonious  relations  between  the  nations  of  the 
earth.     (Prolonged  applause.) 

Gentlemen,  we  have  as  one  of  the  men  of  the  United  States  to  address  you  this  morning, 
a  nation's  statesman  who  stands  as  one  of  our  President's  chief  councillors  in  his  Cabinet,  who 
is  the  Secretarj*  of  the  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  a  man  who  has  traveled  up  and 
down  the  vast  reaches  of  this  countrj',  that  he  might  come  into  touch  with  the  business  men 
of  all  sections,  who  can  impress  them,  by  his  own  personal  word  and  hand,  with  his  close  and 
intimate  interests  in  the  business  world  of  his  country.  And  therefore  it  becomes  my  high 
honor  to  present  the  Secretary'  of  the  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  Hon.  Charles 
Nagel,  who  will  give  you  the  greeting  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States.     (Applause.) 


ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME  ON  BEHALF  OF  THE   GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  UNITED 

STATES   OF  AMERICA 

Hon.  Charles  Nagel,  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen: 

It  is  my  great  privilege,  in  the  name  of  the  United  States,  to  extend  a  hearty  welcome  to 
the  members  of  this  Congress.  And  in  doing  so  I  wish  to  congratulate  the  L^nited  States  upon 
the  fact  that  for  this  occasion  this  country  was  selected  as  the  meeting  place.  And  I  want  to 
congratulate  the  United  States  upon  the  fact  that  the  great  city  of  Boston  is  the  host  for  this 
occasion,  because  the  city  of  Boston  has  been  a  pioneer  in  promoting  the  idea  of  a  closer  com- 
mercial organization  in  order  that  cities,  states  and  countries  may  speak  with  effect. 

I  am  the  more  glad  of  this  opportunity,  because  my  short  official  experience  has  impressed 
me  with  the  importance  of  an  organization  such  as  you  have.  As  in  our  own  countrj'  the  im- 
proved methods  of  communication  bring  us  closer  together  and  help  us  realize  that  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  ultimate  advantage  at  the  unfair  expense  of  our  neighbor,  so  in  an  equal  sense 
the  closer  communications  between  the  countries  make  it  manifest  that  between  foreign  coun- 
tries there  must  be  a  better  understanding  {applause  and  expressions  of  approval),  there  must 
be  rules  of  the  game  that  will  make  it  possible  to  base  all  transactions  and  to  measure  them 
according  to  standards  of  equity  and  justice.     {"Hear,  hear!"  and  applause.) 

I  know  it  has  been  said  that  in  international  relations  we  have  no  law-giving  power  and 
we  have  no  tribunal  to  enforce  a  law.  That  is  true.  But  in  view  of  the  tremendous  trend  of 
over-legislation  in  practically  all  individual  countries,  I  am  not  sure  but  what  you  may  re- 
ceive it  as  a  subject  of  congratulation  that  there  is  at  least  one  field  in  which  you,  the  actors 
and  the  makers  of  commerce,  may  have  an  opportunity  to  work  out  your  own  salvation. 
{"Hear,  hear! "  and  applause.)  Those  of  us  who  watch  the  tremendous  multitude  of  new  laws 
must  be  impressed  with  the  fact  that  there  was  great  merit  in  the  old  system  of  working  out 
your  rules  of  the  game  by  the  custom  of  the  countrj'.  And  if  you  have  an  understanding,  if 
you  make  your  rules,  and  if  you  are  put  in  a  position  to  enforce  those  rules  through  the  agency 
of  your  government,  you  may  evolve  a  system  of  international  commerical  law  more  apt  to 
respond  intelligently  to  your  needs  than  any  legislative  body  could  provide. 

Perhaps  our  count r>'  ought  to  confess  that  in  some  measure  it  is  not  quite  up  to  the  stand- 
ards which  have  been  attained  in  some  other  countries.  Comparatively  speaking,  we  are  a 
new  country.  For  obvious  reasons  our  attention  has  been  centered  upon  domestic  questions. 
We  have  been  a  countrj'  of  such  vast  resources  that  we  have  been  able  from  time  to  time  to 
seek  out  new  tcrritorj'  for  the  emplojmcnt  of  our  energies  within  our  own  domain.    But  by 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  133 

degrees  we  are  bound  to  recognize  that  there  is  a  limit  to  that  sort  of  employment  even  in 
our  country'  with  all  its  v;vst  resources. 

We  have  a  system  of  government,  besides,  in  which  the  individual  state  plays  an  impor- 
tant part,  and  under  that  system  much  of  our  attention  h;vs  been  given  to  the  adjustment  of 
just  such  questions  involving  interstate  relations  as  you  are  here  now  engaged  to  consider  with 
respect  to  the  great  countries  of  the  world.  Furthermore,  we  have  had  a  protective  system 
which  has  served  to  center  our  attention  more  especially  upon  our  own  affairs.  But  in  respect 
to  all  these  facts  the  trend  is  away  from  the  past.  We  have  entered  the  international  field, 
not  only  politically  but  commercially,  and  we  are  interested  with  you  in  finding  those  stand- 
ards and  those  rules  by  which  international  commerce  may  be  justly  and  sanely  governed. 
We  are  making  progress.  The  department  over  which  it  is  my  privilege  to  preside  is  being 
organized  with  a  view  to  meet  just  that  situation,  and  our  Chambers  of  Commerce  in  this 
countr\'  are  awake  to  the  fact  that  the  old  indiviilualistic  idea  must  be  abandonetl  and  that 
it  must  be  replaced  by  the  idea  of  intelligent  co-operation,  upon  the  theory  that  ultimately 
you  must  be  willing  to  share  with  j'our  neighbor. 

Our  cities  no  longer  estimate  their  success  by  the  failure  of  sister  cities.  Every  city  in  our 
Union  realizes  that  the  advantage  of  ever\'  other  city  reflects  upon  it  and  that  the  failure  of 
any  other  city  must  likewise  reflect  upon  it.  The  spirit  of  co-operation  is  abroad,  and  if  that 
be  true  within  a  country  is  it  not  equally  true  in  the  relations  between  foreign  countries? 
Is  it  too  nuich  to  say  that  to-day  a  wholesome,  prosperous,  .successful  country  may  justly 
rejoice  in  the  success  of  a  neighboring  country'?  (Applause.)  Is  it  not  true  that  our  .security 
lies  in  the  success  of  our  neighbors  and  our  chief  danger  lies  in  the  unrest  to  which  our  neigh- 
bors may  be  subjected?    (Applause.) 

I  need  not  recite  to  you  what  the  subjects  for  consideration  in  a  Congress  of  this  kind  may 
be.  Your  own  program  will  indicate  that  better  than  I  could  state  it.  International  relations 
must  have  tnie  standards.  The  integrity  of  the  dollar  means  the  integrity  of  every  paper 
based  upon  it:  the  integrity  of  money  means  the  integrity  of  measure  and  weight;  the  char- 
acter of  measure  and  weight  means  the  character  of  the  goods;  the  character  of  the  goods  means 
the  honesty  of  the  label  and  of  ever>'  declaration  made  with  respect  to  it.  ("Hear,  hear!" 
and  applaui<c.)  The  field  is  a  broad  one.  If  you  accomplish  nothing  else,  the  very  fact  of  our 
meeting  here  together  face  to  face  could  not  be  without  its  effect.  Nothing  is  more  dangerous 
than  long-range  shooting  and  talking.  WTien  men  get  together  face  to  face  to  consider  their 
wants,  their  needs  and  their  rights,  they  come  to  the  conclusion  that  after  all  we  mightily 
resemble  each  other.  Our  desires  are  about  the  same,  and  our  ambitions  too,  and  by  proper 
consideration  of  the.se  questions  we  will  all  come  to  the  conclusion  that  each  one  of  us  needs, 
as  the  foundation  of  his  success,  justice  broad  enough  to  be  extended  to  his  neighbor.  More 
than  that,  the  spirit  of  co-operation,  of  con.sideration  of  our  neighbor,  as  the  foundation  of  all 
ultimate  success,  is  so  broad  and  so  general  that  throughout  the  world  we  arc  talking  about 
peace  and  peace  treaties.  Suggestions  have  been  submitted  based  upon  standards  a-s  broad 
as  the  highest  and  most  ideal  that  have  ever  been  accepted,  for  the  settlement  of  controversies 
between  individual  men.  I  care  not  whether  this  or  that  suggestion  be  precisely  worded.  That 
is  not  the  question.  What  we  are  interested  in  is  the  trend  wliich  these  suggestions  show  and 
in  the  fact  that  no  one  to-day  denies  that  peace  is  an  end  to  be  desired.  ("Hear,  hear!"  and 
applause.) 

In  my  judgment,  even  more  important  than  agreement's  arrived  at  as  a  result  of  diplo- 
matic negotiations,  far  more  important  than  the.se  will  be  the  results  of  just  such  Congre.s.se3 
as  you  here  now  hold.  You  represent  legitimate  self-interest.  The  questions  to-day  through- 
out the  world  are  largely  industrial.  Controversies  that  ari.se  will  originate  from  that  inter- 
est, and  if  you  succeed  in  establi.shing  rules  of  the  game  that  will  .settle,  determine  and  guide 
your  negotiations  and  your  dealings,  the  main  cause  for  friction  and  controversy  in  the  future 
has  been  removed.     (Applause.) 

Commerce  is  still  the  pioneer  of  civilization.  (Applause.)  Diplomacy  may  still  open  the 
door;  diplomacy  may  still  create  an  opportunity.     It  may  still  secure  large  influence  here  and 


134  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

there;  but  in  the  final  analysis  your  activities,  your  understandings  among  each  other,  will 
smooth  the  path  for  the  diplomat. 

Time  was  when  rulers  declared  war  for  one  purpose  or  another;  the  time  has  come  win  n 
there  is  not  an  intelligent  ruler  in  the  world  w  ho  does  not  want  peace.  The  change  is  complct  c. 
If  there  be  war  or  peace  in  the  future  it  will  be  because  the  people  declare  it  or  maintain  it; 
and,  inasmuch  as  the  responsibilitj-  rests  with  the  people,  the  work  of  congresses  of  this  kind 
is  made  the  more  important,  because  intelligent  self-interest  is  the  foundation  of  real  peace, 
and  all  selfish  interest  is  intelligent  if  it  recognizes  that  the  other  man  is  entitled  to  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  same  privilege.     (Applause.) 

What  we  want  to  establish  is  such  a  relation,  so  intimate  commerciallj',  and  ultimately 
socially,  that  no  country  a  party  to  your  Congress  will  permit  controversy,  because  it  cannot 
afford  to  have  it. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Congress,  if  a  meeting  of  this  kind  were  held  in  our  countrj-,  if  men 
representing  interests  in  some  measure  competitive  —  a^,  of  course,  the  relations  of  all  coun- 
tries with  each  other  are  competitive,  —  were  to  meet  at  the  present  time,  there  might  be  some 
fear  expressed  lest  the  real  purpose  did  not  appear  upon  the  surface.  There  will  be  a  disposi- 
tion to  read  into  the  lines  of  your  discussions  a  purpose  that  might  have  some  effect  upon  com- 
petitive conditions.  Be  that  as  it  may,  and  I  have  no  doubt  you  have  similar  problems  in 
some  of  your  countries,  —  and  if  you  haven't  them  now  I  suggest  that  you  may  have  them  later, 
because  we  have  met  some  questions  by  anticipation  that  you  will  have  to  meet  as  the  result 
of  experience,  —  ultimately  we  will  have  to  realize  that  you  are  not  subject  to  the  questions 
and  the  doubts  that  might  obtain  in  our  countr>',  because  the  delegates  of  these  countries 
may  be  trusted  to  take  care  of  their  interests  and  are  here  to  promote  the  general  cause  of 
equit}'  and  justice  under  which  all  may  thrive  and  prosper  alike. 

That  being  the  plan,  you  may  not  be  called  altruists,  as  for  instance  a  congress  of  artists 
or  even  scientists  might  be;  but  no  one  can  doubt  that  the  purpose  which  you  have  in  mind  is 
to  promote  a  program  of  general  advantage,  integrity  of  standards,  quick  and  keen  justice, 
peace  among  the  nations,  and  ultimately  the  advantage  of  ever}-  citizen  and  ever>'  part  of 
the  community  that  may  participate,  however  remotely,  in  your  transactions. 

Gentlemen,  in  closing  I  want  merely  to  say  that  any  man  in  public  life  to-day  must  con- 
template with  peculiar  gratification  any  congress  which  may  be  called  to  consider  questions 
as  grave  as  those  which  you  have  up  for  discussion,  and  which  at  the  same  time  cannot  be 
charged  with  selfishness  but  must  have  it  conceded  that  its  purpose  is  the  general  well-being 
and  welfare  not  only  of  those  whom  j-ou  directly  represent  but  of  those  whom  the  Congress 
as  such  represents  throughout  the  world.     (Applause.) 

Chairman  Smith:  Gentlemen,  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  from  the  stand- 
point of  industrial  development,  is  the  fourth  greatest  Commonwealth  in  our  Union  of  forty- 
eight  states.  Her  present  chief  magistrate  is  a  great  captain  of  industry*.  From  the  outset 
he  has  given  us  his  most  solicitous  interest  and  effective  co-operation,  to  the  end  that  this 
Congress  be  the  success  it  should  be.  It  now  becomes  my  pleasure  to  introduce  His  Excellency 
Governor  Eugene  N.  Foss,  of  Massachusetts.    (Applause.) 


ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME  ON  BEHALF  OF  THE  COMMONWEALTH  OF 

MASSACHUSETTS 


Hon.  Eugene  N.  Foss,  Governor  of  Massachusetts 

Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen: 

It  is  with  great  plea.sure  that  I  extend,  on  behalf  of  the  Commonwealth,  its  greetings. 
The  Commonwealth  is  indeed  greatly  honored  that  you  should  have  chosen  this  city  and  this 
state  for  this  your  first  meeting  on  American  soil.  It  is  significant  that  you  are  coming  to  us 
at  this  time,  when  a  new  era  of  commercial  life  is  opening  up.    In  the  early  years  of  this  re- 


41 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  135 

public  the  clipper  ships  of  the  ports  of  Massachusetts  circled  the  world,  but  of  later  years  we 
have  been  engaged,  as  Secretary  Nagel  has  told  you,  in  the  development  of  our  internal  af- 
fairs. It  was  the  capital  of  Massachusetts  and  New  England  which  so  largely  contributed  to 
the  development  of  the  western  section  of  the  countrj'.  It  wjis  New  England  capital  which 
built  the  great  lines  of  railroads  across  the  country  and  developed  the  great  interior  states  of 
the  West. 

But  to-day  we  are  turning  our  attention  to  the  development  of  the  waterways,  of  the 
internal  waterways  of  the  country,  and  are  looking  abroad  for  new  markets.  Here  in  Massa- 
chusetts you  will  find  the  home  of  the  cotton  industry,  you  will  also  find  the  home  of  the  boot 
and  shoe  industry,  which  we  like  to  term  the  great  American  industry,  for  with  a  small  degree 
of  protection  to  this  industry  we  have  been  able  to  command  the  markets  at  home  and  the 
markets  of  the  world,  until  the  American  shoe  is  now  found  in  every  part  of  the  world. 

You  will  find  here  in  Massachusetts  not  only  the  financial  and  industrial  organizations 
which  have  contributed  so  much  to  build  up  the  country,  but  you  will  also  find  those  organi- 
zations which  are  conserving  the  natural  resources  of  the  countrj',  like  our  forests  and  water- 
power,  and  which  are  working  along  the  line  of  the  further  development  of  these  resources 
which  is  going  on. 

We  wish  for  the  delegates  a  pleasing  and  profitable  stay  here.  We  know  that  your  min- 
gling among  us  will  bring  us  much  of  good,  and  that  the  results  will  be  beneficial  to  all;  and  we 
extend  to  you  the  warmest  greetings  of  Massachusetts.     (Applause.) 

Chairman  Smith:  Gentlemen,  when  you  received  your  appointments  as  delegates  to 
the  city  of  Boston,  I  apprehend  that  you  looked  for  the  statistical  and  numerical  strength 
of  Boston,  and  j-ou  read  that  Boston  was  a  city  of  670,000  people,  with  an  industrial  output 
of  8225,000,000. 

Boston  stands  alone  as  to  its  unfortunate  uniqueness  of  physical  position.  Our  municipal 
area  has  but  3S  square  miles.  Therefore,  owing  to  congestion  within  those  limits  we  have 
municipally  but  670,000  people. 

Within  a  stone's  throw  of  where  you  now  sit,  and  less  than  one  thousand  yards  from  where 
you  now  sit  are  two  separate  municipalities  of  over  100,000  people  surging  with  industrial 
activity,  and  on  the  immediate  outskirts  of  Boston,  in  co-terminous  territorj',  immediately 
adjoining,  and  whose  interests  are  interdependent,  within  twelve  miles,  a  population  of  a 
million  and  a  half  people  with  an  industrial  ouput  of  §560,000,000. 

The  Mayor  of  Boston,  in  turn,  has  shown  his  most  intimate  interest  in  the  success  of 
this  great  Congress.  HLs  efTective  co-operation  has  been  evident  on  everj'  hand,  and  I  am  sure 
some  of  you  at  least  will  be  renewing  an  old  acquaintance,  because  he  was  one  of  the  Boston 
party  of  tourists  to  visit  Europe  last  summer. 

It  now  becomes  my  pleasure  to  introduce  Hia  Honor  the  Mayor  of  Boston,  John  F. 
FiTZGER.\LD.     (Applause.) 


k 


ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME  ON  BEHALF  OF  THE  CITY  OF  BOSTON 
Hon.  John  F.  Fitzgerald,  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Boston 


Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Fifth  International  Congress: 

I  do  not  think  that  any  one  of  us  who  journeyed  across  the  water  la.st  summer  ever  thought 
that  this  gathering  which  I  have  the  honor  to  address  this  morning,  and  to  welcome  formally 
to  this  great  city  of  ours,  would  be  as  large  in  numbers  and  iia  distinguished  in  representation 
as  it  is,  and  we  all,  in  Boston,  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  Mr.  Filene,  and  to  Mr.  Fahey,  who, 
two  years  ago  at  a  similar  Congress  held  in  London,  invited  this  gathering  to  Boston,  and  were 
the  cause  of  such  a  distinction  coming  to  this  great  city.     (Applause.) 

Mr.  Smith  has  spoken  about  the  industrial  life  of  this  community,  its  population,  its  vast 
wealth,  the  interrelationship  of  the  suburban  communities,  with  Boston;  but  there  is  another 


136  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

acti\'ity  going  on  here  to-day  that  I  want  to  Bay  just  a  word  about  before  I  proceed  to  my 
formal  address,  because  it  is  perhaps  a  i)hase  of  our  American  civiHzation  that  some  of  you 
will  never  elsewhere  have  the  opportunity  to  see. 

In  this  Commonwealth  of  ours,  over  which  our  distinguished  Governor  who  has  just 
addressed  you  presides,  there  is  a  political  contest  going  on  all  over  the  state.  Right  here, 
within  a  short  distance  from  this  hotel,  electioneering  is  going  on;  and  you,  gentlemen,  who 
come  from  those  parts  of  the  world  where  property  qualifications  count,  where  the  votes  of 
men  with  vast  property  count  ten  to  one  hundred  times  as  much  as  the  vote  of  the  man  with- 
out a  dollar,  will  be  able  to  witness  a  practical  exhibition  of  American  democracy,  because 
you  can  see,  this  morning  or  at  any  time  until  4  o'clock  this  afternoon,  the  laborer  walking 
side  by  side  with  the  millionaire  many  times  over,  in  the  same  booth,  and  the  vote  of  one  is 
as  mighty  and  as  potent  as  the  vote  of  the  other.  And  there  is  no  better  exhibition  of  Amer- 
ica's doctrine,  there  is  not  a  better  example  of  American  democracy,  than  can  be  found  right 
within  the  precincts  of  this  hotel;  and  I  hope  some  of  you  will  take  advantage  of  the  occasion 
and  go  out  and  see  how  the  voting  is  done.     (Applause.) 

^Tien  a  few  years  ago  the  American  republics  first  realized  that  they  had  interests  in 
common,  a  new  word  came  into  use,  invented  to  express  a  certain  unity  among  the  peoples 
of  the  two  continents.  To  Pan-Slavic  and  Pan-Germanic,  with  which  j'ou  are  familiar, 
there  was  added  the  term  Pan-American.  It  awakened  visions  of  inter-continental  railroads 
and  the  enrichment  of  civilization  through  the  opening  of  unexhausted  tropical  lands. 

To-day  we  meet  under  the  inspiration  of  a  still  larger  concept.  Envoys  from  forty  nations, 
men  of  diverse  languages,  laws,  customs  and  religions,  are  assembled  in  a  common  cause.  From 
the  unity  of  a  single  race  or  of  a  hemisphere  our  imaginations  have  progressed  till  they  encircle 
the  globe  itself.  We  might  call  the  movement  Pan-terrestrial  or  Pan-human.  \Miatever  its 
name,  we  greet  you,  gentlemen,  as  its  champions  and  e.vponents,  —  rational  visionaries,  in- 
nocent schemers,  peacefullj'  plotting  the  good  of  all  mankind. 

The  theme  of  your  deliberations  is  commerce.  Was  there  a  time  when  this  word  had 
derogatory  or  even  sinister  implications?  Perhaps  in  some  feudal  period,  before  men  had 
learned  to  respect  the  dignity  of  everj'-day,  useful  things.  Happily  we  breathe  to-day  the  at- 
mo.sphere  of  the  twentieth  centur>',  in  which  the  builder,  the  creator  of  wealth,  is  honored 
above  the  destroyer  or  the  dreamer.  You  who  sit  here  in  council,  merchants,  bankers,  manu- 
facturers, engineers,  operators  of  railroads,  are  the  providers  of  the  human  family.  Your 
ancestry  reaches  back  to  the  primitive  ages.  Beneath  war  and  change,  turmoil  and  migra- 
tion, your  patient  industrj-  has  nourished  and  clad  the  race.  The  statesman  and  the  soldier 
may  dazzle  by  their  victories,  but  your  conquests  arc  less  bloody  and  your  influence  more 
pervasive.  The  artist  and  the  thinker  maj'  stand  higher,  but  they  do  not  come  first.  Read- 
ing history,  we  note  that  its  luminous  pages,  those  that  treat  of  Athens,  Rome,  Venice,  Flor- 
ence, London,  Spain  and  Holland,  in  their  prime,  record  the  expansion  of  trade  and  the  inflnw 
of  foreign  wealth  co-existent  with  the  bursting  of  whole  generations  into  art  and  song.  Far 
from  being  opposed,  commerce  and  culture  are  sister  wings  of  the  human  spirit.  If  either 
droops,  the  bahmce  is  lost  and  our  flight  becomes  crippletl  and  erratic. 

One  function  of  commerce  is  to  facilitate  intercourse  and  thus  to  mediate  between  tlic 
families  of  men.  Your  vessels  have  grooved  the  very  waters  of  the  sea  with  lanes  of  approved 
safety  for  travel.  Your  engines  ride  upon  rails  laid  through  mountain  and  jungle  and  omt 
the  inhospitable  desert.  Upon  these  highways  the  nations  journey  back  and  forth  and  meet 
for  the  exchange  of  goods.  Thanks  to  this  freedom  of  movement  there  is  no  longer  any  Ik  r- 
mit  nation,  but  a  universal  interpenetration  of  knowledge  and  ideals.  Governments  adopt 
common  aims  and  approximate  a  common  type.  Universities  exchange  professors.  Great 
actors  and  musical  virtuosi  are  citizens  of  the  world.  The  jirophets  of  literature  are  honored 
in  other  countries  as  well  as  their  own.  A  thousand  influences  knit  together  the  peoples  once 
estranged  by  isolation  and  ignorance. 

This  better  understanding  is  but  a  preface  to  great  accomplishments  which  await  us  in 
the  near  future.     There  are  problems  which  cannot  be  solved  except  by  international  agree- 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  137 

ment,  such  as  universal  peace,  and  until  that  comes  to  pass,  a  civilized  code  of  warfare;  the 
reduction  of  the  cost  of  living;  the  prevention  of  plagues;  the  destruction  of  insect  and  animal 
pests;  the  adoption  of  a  uniform  calendar;  a  superior  and  more  economical  postal  sj'stem; 
rules  for  safety  at  sea;  the  extradition  of  criminals;  standard  weights,  monetary  systems  and 
commercial  forms;  the  arrest  and  control  of  panics;  and  laws  for  the  protection  of  patents 
and  copyrights.  Some  of  these  are  included  in  the  program  of  your  Congress.  We  look  for- 
ward to  authoritative  discussions  of  these  subjects  and  to  conclusions  which  must  carry 
weight  with  those  in  authority.  For  this  reivson  the  presence  of  so  many  representatives  of 
governments  is  a  most  favorable  augury  as  well  as  a  signal  honor.     (Applause.) 

In  America,  gentlemen,  you  will  find  a  nation  well  disposed  toward  the  international 
movement,  because  we  are,  ourselves,  a  cosmopolitan  people.  Everj'  one  of  the  si.xteen  lan- 
guages in  which  your  program  is  printed  is  si)oken  in  this  city,  and  there  are  other  parts  of 
the  countr>'  far  more  polyglot  than  Boston.  The  extent  of  our  territory'  and  its  diversities  of 
chmate  and  contour  give  us  a  continental  breadth  of  view  and  forbid  all  provincial  narrow- 
ness. It  is  hardly  too  much  to  say  that  as  you  continue  your  travels  each  of  you  will  find 
something  familiar,  as  well  as  many  features  that  are  new  and  strange,  in  the  composite  fabric 
of  our  national  life. 

But  while  other  and  more  populous  cities  await  your  coming,  it  is  our  privilege  to  wel- 
come you  first  and  to  receive  you  as  our  particular  guests.  We  believe  that  Boston  may  pos- 
sess some  special  attraction  for  men  whose  interests  are  commercial.  Our  settlement  in  the 
early  seventeenth  centurj'  is  one  of  the  romances  of  the  sea,  and  all  our  history  is  salted  with 
an  ocean  flavor.  After  the  Revolution  a  trade  with  India  and  China  developed  here,  and  it 
was  no  uncommon  exploit  for  adventurous  captains  in  vessels  of  small  tonnage  to  circumnavi- 
gate the  globe  by  way  of  Cape  Horn  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The  whaling  industry, 
now  diminished,  had  its  headquarters  in  nearby  ports.  Our  fishing  fleet,  still  the  foremost  in 
America,  if  not  the  world,  is  about  to  occupy  a  new  pier  with  buildings  specially  designed  for 
this  business.  Our  coastwise  commerce  surpasses  even  that  of  Hamburg.  Our  foreign  sail- 
ings are  frequent  and  regular.  Flotillas  of  pleasure  craft  are  anchored  in  every  bay  and  war- 
ships are  built  in  an  inlet  of  our  harbor.  In  short,  we  New  Englanders  are  still  largely  a 
sea-going  people  and  it  was  no  accident  that  the  discovery  of  the  North  Pole  was  made  by  a 
native  of  Maine.    (Applause.) 

To  saturate  our  youth  with  this  atmosphere,  a  special  school,  the  High  School  of  Com- 
merce, has  been  established,  which  trains  boys  for  the  commercial  life.  More  than  a  thou- 
sand pupils  attend  this  institution,  and  by  the  generosity  of  some  of  our  business  men  several 
of  them  are  sent  each  year  to  study  the  products  and  business  customs  of  other  countries.  I 
trust  that  some  of  you  may  be  able  to  visit  this  school. 

Our  parks,  water  basins  and  boulevards  are  also  at  your  service.  These,  with  the  col- 
leges and  public  buildings,  the  life  along  the  water  front,  the  business  and  manufacturing 
activities  of  the  city  and  our  suburban  homes,  may  distract  you  plejisanth'  in  the  inter^•als 
of  your  more  serious  occupation.  The  Chamber  of  Commerce  has  already  laid  all  its  resources 
at  your  disposal  for  your  personal  comfort  and  entertainment.  The  citizens  in  general  will 
follow  your  proceedings  with  a  friendly  and  enlightened  interest.  By  the  city  itself  nothing 
will  be  left  undone  that  may  testify  to  our  sentiments  of  cordiality  and  esteem.  It  is  one  of 
the  distinctions  of  my  life,  as  Chief  Magistrate  of  Boston,  to  inaugurate  thi.s  convention,  the 
fifth  of  its  kind  and  the  first  to  be  held  in  the  western  hemisphere.  May  its  deliberations  be 
fniitful  and  hannonious  and  your  personal  exTJeriences  such  as  to  repay  you  for  the  fatigues 
of  the  long  journeys  you  have  made.  If  the  results  correspond  to  the  high  purpose  and  bril- 
Uant  intelligence  of  this  gathering,  the  Fifth  Congress  will  surj^ass  all  its  predecessors  and 
will  lay  the  foundations  for  achievements  still  more  massive  and  substantial  in  the  years  to 
come.    (Applause.) 

Chairman  Smith :  As  the  business  men  of  the  United  States  read  the  commercial  history 
of  other  nations  they  realize  that  long  years  ago  you  recognized  the  necessity  for  commercial 


138  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

organizations  first  in  your  several  cities,  and  again  amalgamated  into  one  national  association 
that  it  might  occupy  at  least  a  quasi-official  relation  to  your  governments  who  make  the  laws 
of  commerce.  We  confess  in  America  —  or  rather  the  United  States  —  that  we  were  sfl:'- 
centered,  so  fierce  was  the  conflict  to  develop  this  great  countrv'  of  ours.  But  twenty-fi\  ■ 
years  ago,  in  these  various  and  many  cities  of  ours,  there  came  to  be  Organized  boards  of  traO' 
commercial  associations  and  great  chambers  of  commerce.  And  only  as  recently  as  this  la-: 
April  there  was  a  new  National  Chamber  of  Commerce  organized  which  has  even  in  this  short 
p>eriod  gained  an  individual  membership  of  over  100,000.  And  it  becomes  my  pleasure  to 
introduce  the  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  United  States,  Mr.  Harrt  A. 
Wheeler  of  Chicago.    (Applause.) 


ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME  ON   BEHALF  OF    THE  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE  OF 
THE  UNITED    STATES    OF    AMERICA 

Mr.  Harry  A.  Wheeler,  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  Untied  States 

Gentlemen  of  the  International  Congress: 

It  is  peculiarly  gratif>-ing  that  I  should  be  able  to  represent,  in  this  word  of  welcome  to 
this  Congress,  by  some  authority,  that  of  a  national  organization,  the  welcome  which  the  com- 
mercial interests  of  this  countn.*  extend  to  you.  As  the  presiding  oflBcer  has  said,  a  year  ago 
this  would  have  been  imp)ossible,  but,  following  the  example  which  you  have  set  for  us  in  your 
coimtries,  we  have  at  last  in  this  countrj-  endeavored  to  found  a  Chamber  that  shall  be  com- 
parable to  your  own  in  the  force  that  it  shall  exert  for  the  benefit  of  this  countn.'s  commercial 
interests.  We  are  new  and  we  have  much  to  learn,  and  we  expect  to  learn  at  your  hands; 
and  for  that  reason,  if  for  no  other,  this  Congress  is  doubly  welcome  to  the  commercial  inter- 
ests of  this  coimtrj'.  Their  welcome  to  you  is  doubly  cordial  because  of  the  benefits  which 
we  expect  to  receive  as  the  resiilt  of  your  deliberations. 

Now,  in  the  p>oint  of  welcome,  that  welcome  which  you  shall  receive  in  this  most  hospi- 
table city  of  Boston  is  but  an  earnest  of  the  cordial  hospitality  and  the  warm  welcome  that 
will  be  extended  to  you  as  you  travel  westward  for  a  thousand  miles  and  then  retrace  your 
steps  to  the  seaboard.  And  I  call  you  to  note  that  when  you  have  reached  your  farthest 
western  point,  my  own  beloved  city  of  Chicago,  there  will  still  lie  beyond  an  area  more  than 
two  thousand  miles  in  extent,  dipping  into  the  Pacific,  and  in  that  area  there  exist  to-day  by 
the  hundreds  chambers  of  commerce  and  boards  of  trade,  men  in  business  with  hearts  as 
warm,  with  hospitality  as  cordial  as  the  best  that  you  will  meet  in  that  part  of  our  countrj' 
which  you  will  traverse,  men  who  are  interested  in  the  results  of  this  Congress,  who  deeply 
think  of  the  things  that  you  are  going  to  do;  who  are  disappointed  because  they  will  have  no 
opportunity  because  of  your  lack  of  time  to  greet  you  with  a  warm  hand  and  with  hearty, 
cordial  hospitality  such  as  they  are  accustomed  to  give  to  those  who  visit  them.  (Applause.) 
Those  who  are  the  absent  ones  and  those  whom  you  will  not  see  —  from  them  I  bring  cordial 
greetings  and  a  hearty  welcome  to  this  our  countr>'. 

The  bu.'iiness  interests  of  the  United  States  are  deeply  sensible  of  the  importance  of  this 
great  gathering.  It  signifies  to  us  a  recognition  of  a  world  interdependence;  an  acknowledg- 
ment that  the  happiness,  the  welfare  and  the  prosperity  of  all  the  people  are  so  interlaced 
that  harm  permitted  to  be  done  to  the  least  of  the  nations  must  necessarily  find  its  adverse 
effect  upon  the  greatest.  Commerce  has  laid  up>on  its  heart  and  its  conscience,  by  those  who 
are  willing  to  attribute  wrong  to  it,  many  atrocious  crimes.  Yet,  save  only  for  the  influence 
of  the  great  world-reUgions,  commerce  is  the  greatest  single  force  in  the  world's  civilization. 
(Applause.)  And,  further,  gentlemen,  save  only  for  the  same  influence  of  which  I  have 
spoken,  commerce  will  prove  the  greatest  single  force  in  the  world's  regeneration.  A  con- 
gress of  this  kind  means  unity  of  action.  Commerce  desires  unity,  because  it  is  self-centered, 
as  Secretarj-  Nagel  has  said,  and  selfish.    But  that  selfishness  which  absolutely  resents  inter- 


f 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  139 

ference  with  its  progress  —  that  selfishness  which  deniands  that  obstacles  shall  be  cleared 
away  from  the  path  of  commerce  —  that  selfishness  which  means  jirogress  to  the  world  and 
has  meant  so  much  in  the  years  that  are  j)assed,  will  in  my  jutlgmont  have  a  greater  influence 
in  the  introduction  of  those  things  which  we  are  looking  for  —  particularly  I  am  referring  to 
international  arbitration  of  individual  and  national  disputes  (fippluiise) — than  will  obser- 
vance of  the  Golden  Rule  or  than  will  the  introduction  into  the  minds  of  the  world's  people 
the  sentiment  or  the  desire  that  universal  peace  shall  result.  Commerce  will  do  more  in  the 
last  analysis  to  create  and  maintain  world  i)eace  than  all  other  forces  or  influences  which  may 
be  brought  to  bear  upon  that  subject.  ("Hear,  hear!"  and  applause.)  Commerce,  because  it 
is  selfish,  will  again  exerci.se  its  jiowcr  and  its  influence  in  creating  those  conditions  surround- 
ing the  industrial  peoples  of  this  world  that  will  take  them  out  of  a  voluntar}'  .servitude  and  will 
place  them  in  such  position  that  they  are  benefitted  with  all  the  people  with  the  good  thiugs 
that  come  to  us  in  life;  that  their  interests  shall  be  the  interests  of  commerce,  that  their  well- 
being  shall  be  close  to  our  hearts  and  that  their  uplift  shall  be  our  study  and  our  pleasure  to 
promote,  because  by  the  promotion  of  their  well-being  we  are  raising  the  standard  of  our 
commercial  life,  and  are  raising  the  standard  of  the  products  which  our  countries  represent. 
If  in  no  other  way,  gentlemen,  than  by  the  expression  of  the  interdependence  of  the  peoples 
of  the  world  —  if  in  no  other  way  than  by  the  influence  which  such  congre.sses  as  this  and 
such  as  the  commercial  interests  shall  exercise  ever^'^vhere  shall  have  upon  the  establishment 
of  universal  peace  —  if  in  no  other  way  than  that  of  raising  the  standard  of  living  to  tho.se 
who  work  for  a  living  and  to  make  their  environments  and  their  conditions  better  —  if  in 
those  three  things  these  great  Congresses  shall  succeed  in  laying  broad  and  fine  foundations, 
then  these  other  questions  that  we  are  settling  will  largely  be  solved  by  the  influences  that  are 
fundamental  to  the  greater  problems.  And  we  will  find  as  a  result  of  our  deliberations  that 
those  questions  of  international  justice  and  equity  are,  after  all,  questions  that  will  solve 
themselves  when  right  principles  have  been  laid  at  the  foundation  of  the  business  world 
(Applause.) 

Again,  in  the  name  of  the  commercial  interests  of  this  country,  I  give  you  a  welcome. 
We  are  expecting  much  as  a  result  of  this  meeting  that  we  may  learn  from  j'ou,  and  if  in  some 
small  measure  we  may  have  something  to  contribute  out  of  our  newer  experiences  to  the  wis- 
dom of  your  conclusions  in  the  deliberations  you  shall  undertake,  we  shall  be  deeply  gratified. 
But  go  where  you  will  over  this  country  of  ours,  you  will  find  in  our  chambers  of  commerce 
that  if  given  the  opportunity  they  will  teach  you  what  it  is  to  be  hospitable,  they  will  show 
you  that  measure  of  hospitality  which  we  love  to  extend  to  those  who  visit  us,  and  extend 
not  only  because  of  the  cordial  relations  which  we  hope  to  establish,  but  because  we  desire 
you  to  know  us  better  —  to  know  what  we  have  and  what  we  are,  what  we  are  trj^ing  to  do 
and  what  our  aspirations  may  be.    (Applause.) 

Chairman  Smith:  Two  years  ago  last  May  a  director  of  the  newly-formed  Boston  Cham- 
ber of  C'oninuTce,  and  the  one  man  who  was  the  most  instrumental  in  the  inception  of  the 
movement  which  led  to  the  cn,'stallization  of  the  business  bodies  of  Boston,  had  the  large  vision 
that  if  it  were  po.ssible  to  hold  this  great  Congress  in  Boston  in  1912  it  might  not  be  a  forlorn 
hope.  The  board  of  directors  were  delighted  to  pass  unanimously  their  authority  that  this 
gentleman  with  others  be  authorized  to  extend  the  invitation  in  London,  and  with  others  he 
journeyed  thither,  and  your  presence  here  marks  the  success  of  his  and  their  efforts.  I  take 
plc:vsure  in  introducing  him,  as  he  is,  first,  a  splendid  citizen  of  Boston,  one  of  Boston's  most 
successful  men,  the  vice-president  of  this  Congre.s.'',  who  will  in  turn  show  us  the  special  cour- 
tesy, bj-  virtue  of  his  office,  of  introducing  your  and  our  magnificent  permanent  pre.'^idcnt. 
And  the  gentleman  I  refer  to  —  and  to  introduce  him  is  my  great  pleasure  —  is  Mr.  Edward 
A.   FiLENE  of  Boston.    (Applause.) 


140  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

ADDRESS   OF  WELCOME 
Mr.  Edward  A.  Filene,  Vice-President  of  the  Fifth  International  Congress 

Delegates  and  Friends: 

It  is  my  double  privilege,  having  been  honored  by  you  in  being  made  vice-president  of 
this  gathering,  and  rei)resonting  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  to  add  a  brief  word 
of  heartfelt  welcome  and  then  to  present  to  you  the  distinguished  president  of  the  Permanent 
Committee  of  the  International  Congress,  who  is  to  preside  at  these  meetings. 

To  welcome  so  many  captains  of  industrj'  and  generals  of  finance  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  is  a  great  pleasure  and  a  great  honor.  You  are  the  men  who  win  the  decisive  victories 
of  peaceful  times.  The  intense  interest  which  your  coming  has  aroused  in  the  United  States  is 
evidence  that  the  fame  of  your  victories  has  spread.  One  proof  that  this  interest  is  not  passive 
is  the  fact  that  over  ninety  North  and  South  American  business  organizations  have  joined  the 
International  Congress  during  the  past  year,  in  order  to  profit  by  the  discussions  and  to  aid 
in  this  welcome. 

To-day  you  concentrate  here  more  than  three  hundred  commercial  associations.  You  not 
only  bring  together  the  official  representation  of  these  influential  organizations,  but  center 
on  this  hemisphere  for  the  first  time  your  combined  knowledge.  Here  is  a  great  opportunity. 
For  our  guests,  as  well  as  we  Americans,  know  that  when  ten  men  sit  down  to  reason  together 
in  a  friendly  way,  a  new  fund  of  knowledge  is  created.  Every  one  may  draw  on  this  fund  and 
add  to  his  own  store  of  knowledge  that  of  the  other  nine  men.  The  power  of  each  may  be 
increased  not  once  but  tenfold,  so  that  the  result  may  be,  not  ten  times  one,  but  ten  times  ten 
or  a  hundred.  And  if  we  call  the  individual  knowledge  of  a  man  a  unit  of  efficiency,  then  the 
consultation  may  result  in  one  hundred  units  of  efficiency. 

And  so  here,  too,  each  of  us  may  command  the  individual  knowledge  of  his  seven  himdred 
fellow  delegates.  The  circle  of  ten  has  increased  seventy-fold  among  the  wisest  business  men  of 
the  world.  And  the  corresponding  possible  result  becomes  nearly  half  a  million  units  of  eflB- 
ciency.  (Applause.)  That  may  seem  an  American  exaggeration  (laughter);  but,  gentlemen, 
underneath  it  lies  the  truth,  and  it  is  that  truth  that  is  the  surest  guaranty  that  these  con- 
gresses will  grow  and  grow  and  grow,  because  there  will  be  created  this  new  and  greater  fund 
of  efficiency  which  shall  bring  nations  more  and  more  into  co-operation  one  with  the  other, 
enriching  the  world  and  making  us  all  wiser  and  better. 

I  have  called  you  the  wisest  of  business  men.  This  is  not  flattery,  it  is  the  truth.  For  if 
a  successful  business  man  has  grasp  and  vision  and  imagination  enough  to  give  him  interna- 
tional sympathy  which  is  capable  of  appreciating  the  benefits  to  the  world  bom  of  international 
co-operation,  he  is  surely  wise.  Then  if  this  understanding  is  of  strength  sufl5cient  to  carry 
him  over  moimtains  and  seas  to  this  great  meeting,  he  is,  I  say,  one  of  the  world's  wisest 
business  men.    (Applause.) 

So,  also,  will  the  friendships  which  we  form  in  Boston  be  the  wisest  of  friendships.  They 
are  to  include  all  of  us,  I  hope,  for  no  member  of  this  Congress  needs  a  formal  introduction 
to  a  fellow  delegate.  (Applause.)  These  friendships,  tying  us  together  years  after  we  have 
returned  to  our  scattered  homes,  mean  much  to  the  world.  This  Congress  adjourns  Thursday, 
but  the  friendships  to  which  we  look  forward  will  kcej)  its  influence  constantly  alive,  con- 
stantly helpful.    The  world,  jus  well  as  all  of  us,  will  benefit  from  such  international  friend.ships. 

When  we  were  last  together  in  London  1  had  the  great  honor,  on  behalf  of  the  Boston 
Chamber,  to  invite  you  to  visit  the  United  States,  making  at  that  time  some  promises  which 
I  hope  we  will  fulfil.  I  told  you  that  in  coming  to  the  United  States,  you  were  coming  home. 
I  told  you  that  the  United  States,  after  all,  was  not  made  by  the  Indians.  (Laughter.)  I  am 
talking  of  our  own  Indians  now,  not  of  the  East  Indians,  some  of  whom  I  see  here.  (Laughter.) 
But  America  was  made,  I  said,  by  the  Englishmen  and  the  Frenchmen  and  the  Germans  and  the 
Italians  —  I  will  stop  hero,  for  it  would  take  up  too  much  of  your  time  to  enumerate  all  of  the 
nations  which  have  made  up  the  America  and  the  United  States  that  you  are  now  visiting. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  141 

And  so  you  come  this  morning  to  your  own,  not  to  a  strange  countrj^,  but  to  your  home 
land.  You  are  among  your  brothers  who  sailed  westward  to  build  a  brotherhood  nation. 
Here  you  will  instantly  recognize  the  colors  of  your  home  lands  blending  to  make  uj)  the  whole 
we  call  America.  The  forty  or  more  nationalities  represented  by  you  are  the  real  creators  of 
the  United  States  and  its  people,  who  are  honored  by  your  coming.  (Applause.)  The  State, 
the  City,  and  the  Chamber,  recognizing  this  debt  of  our  nation  to  you,  rejoice  that  this  op- 
portunity of  being  your  hosts  will  enable  them  to  assist  you  in  a  still  greater  service.  For 
they  see  in  the  Congress  a  long  step  in  the  advance  towards  the  day  when  we  business  men  of 
all  nations  shall  be  able  to  apply  internationally  what  we  have  individually  learned  from 
our  own  business,  —  namely,  that  all  business  and  all  relations,  to  be  permanent  and  really 
advantageous,  must  be  mutually  helpful.     {Applause.) 

And  it  is  on  this  basis  that  I  i)redict  our  advance.  We  shall  pass  onward  through  the 
questions  to  which  this  Congress  must  now  necessarily  limit  itself.  From  these,  in  the  ful- 
ness of  time,  we  shall  pass  upward  to  those  far  greater,  far  more  important  questions  which 
are  not  only  fundamental  to  the  best  commercial  relations  between  nation.s,  but  are  as  well 
the  basis  of  peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to  men.  (Applause.)  Not  that  I  minimize  the  things 
we  are  now  doing.  Though  after  all  they  are  only  the  foimdation  stones  —  still  they  are  the 
important  foundation  stones  which  must  be  strong  and  well  laid  if  the  great  superstructure 
is  ever  to  be  completed.    It  is  with  these  thoughts  in  mind  that  we  bid  you  thrice  welcome. 

My  privilege  has  still  another  great  pleasure  in  store  —  to  present  to  you  Monsieur 
Lens  C.\non-Legh.vnd  of  Belgium,  citizen  of  the  world.  President  of  the  International  Con- 
gress, presiding  officer  of  this  meeting.  Monsieur  Canon-Legrand  personifies  the  initiative 
of  our  always  far-sighted  Belgian  brothers,  who  brought  the  first  Congress  into  being  at  Li6ge 
in  1905. 

Steadily  thereafter,  he  piloted  the  work  at  Milan,  at  Prague,  at  London,  and  now  to-day 
he  comes  to  guide  us  here  with  the  same  master-hand  which  has  for  years  kept  this  great  In- 
ternational Congress  on  its  safe  and  prosperous  course  and  off  the  dangerous  rocks  of  inter- 
national (hfTerences. 

Head-  of  the  federated  commercial  and  industrial  associations  of  Belgium,  Monsieur 
Canon-Legrand  has,  since  the  International  Congress  came  into  existence,  given  freely  of  his 
great  tact  and  his  knowledge  of  international  affairs,  that  we  might  fulfil  our  oi)portunity. 
Many  international  government  conferences  and  many  international  economic  movements  of 
great  importance  owe  their  life  to  these  congresses.  All  received  their  share  of  impetus  from 
Monsieur  Canon-Legrand.  And,  likewise,  here  we  are  to  be  directed  by  his  knowledge  — 
and  directed,  I  feel  sure,  to  great  ends,  to  success  which  our  home  lands  will  look  upon  with 
justifiable  pride.  Gentlemen,  I  have  the  great  pleasure  of  presenting  to  you  our  presiding 
officer  and  President,  Monsieur  Louis  C.\non-Legrand.     (Applaiise.) 


MONSIEUR   LOmS   CANON-LEGRAND 

President  of  the  Permanent  Committee  of  the  International  Congress 

Monsieur  le  President,  Messieurs: 

C'est  le  cccur  plein  d'une  profonde  Amotion  que  je  me  It^ve  pour  r6pondre  aux  bienvenucs 
trop  cordiales  qui  nous  ont  vt6  adress^es  par  les  orateurs  qui  m'ont  prec<''d6  k  cette  tribune. 
81  je  me  sers  de  ma  langue,  le  fran^ais,  c'est  qu'il  est  bon  d'employer  celle  que  Ton  connatt 
le  mieux  et  avec  laquelle  on  exprime  le  mieux  les  sentiments  de  son  ca-ur.  Sinon,  messieurs, 
je  devrais,  au  nom  des  ddl6gu6s  de  tous  les  pays,  ici  presents,  vous  parler  toutes  les  languea 
de  la  terre. 

Je  suis  done  particulii^rement  heureux  de  pouvoir,  au  nom  de  tous  les  d(!;l<^gu6s  Strangers 
\  Venus  k  Boston,  adresser  nos  remerciemcnts  chaleurcux  h.  I'ancien  prfoident  de  la  Chambre  de 
I  Commerce  de  Boston,  M.  Smith,  au  secretaire  du  Dispart ement  de  Commerce  et  du  Travail, 
'  M.  Charles  Nagel,  au  gouvemeur  de  I'fitat  du  Massachusetts,  M.  Foss,  au  maire  de  la  ville  de 


142  IXTERXATIOXAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Boston,  M.  Fitzgerald,  ain.si  qu'au  president  de  la  Cbambre  do  Commerce  des  fitats-Unis  h 
Washington;  ct  cnfin,  je  dois  des  remcrciement.s  tout  ?p6ciaux  il  nion  ami  —  je  I'appelle  ainsi 
—  M.  Filene,  que  j'ai  eu  I'honneur  dc  connaitre  il  y  a  deux  ans  ii  Londrcs,  et  avec  qui  dci'i:i- 
lors  des  relations  se  sont  sui\-ies  de  la  fa^on  la  plus  cordiale. 

Messieurs,  laissez-moi  vous  dire  quclques  mots  en  frangais  —  car  je  me  propose  de  m  i~ 
adresser  la  parole  en  anglais  aussi  —  pour  reconnaltre  la  gracieuse  hospitality  de  nos  hot-; 
laissez-moi  vous  dire,  k  moi,  qui  ai  vu  grandir  I'ocuvre  des  Congr&s  des  Chambres  de  Commtiv. 
combien  il  est  r6confortant,  combien  il  est  puissant  pour  I'avenir  de  voir  le  trds  grand  nombrc 
de  d61(?gu(5s  pr6sents  dans  cette  salle.  Nous  avons  commcnc^e,  on  vous  I'a  rappel6  tout  k 
I'heure,  en  Belgique,  oil  nous  nY'tions  que  quclques  centaines,  trois  cents,  trois  cent  cinquante; 
I'oeuvre  s'est  accrue,  s'est  d6veloppce;  elle  est  all(5e  en  Italic,  en  Boheme,  k  Londres  —  nous 
^tions  six  cents  k  Londres,  —  et  aujourd'hui,  messieurs,  malgr(5  les  difficultds  du  voyage,  — 
car  je  ne  vous  cache  pas  que  pour  nous,  europdens,  la  traversee  de  I'Atlantique  n'est  pas  une 
petite  affaire  —  nous  sommes  venus  du  vieux  monde  plus  de  sept  cents  pour  rdpondre  k  la 
cordiale  invitation  de  nos  amis  des  Etats-Unis  de  rAm(5rique  du  Nord. 

Voilk  les  ddveloppements  de  I'oeuvre.  Et  la  raison  en  est  bien  simple:  c'est  que  les  hommes 
de  bonne  volontd,  que  vous  etes  tous,  se  trouvent  et  se  trouveront  toujours  de  plus  en  plus  nom- 
breux;  c'est  que,  dans  les  affaires  de  commerce,  d'industrie,  d'affaires,  la  mcme  mentalite  nous 
anime  tous.  Nous  avons  tous  la  meme  conscience  des  int(5rets  g6n(?raux,  et  en  regie  gdndrale, 
d^s  que  nous  discutons  nos  questions,  immediatement  nous  sommes  tous  d'accord.  Yoilk  la 
raison  des  r(5unions  pareilles  k  celle-ci. 

J'ai  ('t6  tr^s  heureux  tout  k  I'heure  d'entendre  I'honorable  president  de  la  Chambre  de 
Commerce  des  £tats-Unis  nous  dire  quelle  ctait  I'influence  du  commerce  sur  les  relations  in- 
temationales.  En  deux  mots,  on  peut  dire:  Le  commerce,  c'est  la  paLx  —  Commerce  is  peace. 
(Applaiidissements.) 

Je  ne  veux  pas  abuser  plus  longtemps  de  vos  moments,  car  nous  avons  k  commencer 
notre  session  et  k  travailler.  Je  vais  done  me  permettre,  par  courtoisie  pour  nos  hdtes,  de 
vous  dire  en  anglais  de  quelle  fa^on  je  comprends  notre  ocuvre. 

(Transhilion) 

Mr.  President,  Gentlemen: 

With  a  heart  full  of  profound  emotion,  I  rise  to  respond  to  the  cordial  welcome 
which  has  been  given  us  by  the  speakers  who  have  preceded  me  on  this  platform.  If  I  use 
the  French  language,  it  is  because  it  is  good  for  one  to  employ  that  which  he  knows  best 
and  in  which  he  can  express  best  the  sentiments  of  his  heart.  Otherwise,  gentlemen,  I 
should  have,  in  the  name  of  all  the  delegates  present,  to  address  you  in  all  the  languages 
of  the  earth. 

I  am  particularly  happy  to  be  able,  on  behalf  of  all  the  delegates  that  have  come 
to  Boston,  to  address  our  heartfelt  thanks  to  the  former  President  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  Boston,  Mr.  Smith;  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Department  of  Commerce 
and  Labor,  Mr.  Charles  Nagel;  to  the  Governor  of  Massachu.setts,  Mr.  Foss;  to  the 
Mayor  of  the  City  of  Boston,  Mr.  Fitzgerald,  and  to  the  President  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  the  United  States  at  Washington;  and  lastly  I  owe  my  most  particular 
thanks  to  my  friend  —  I  call  him  thus  —  Mr.  Filene,  whom  I  had  the  honor  to  meet 
two  years  ago  in  London,  and  with  whom  I  have  had  since  most  cordial  relations. 

Gentlemen,  let  mc  tell  you  briefly  in  French,  as  I  propose  to  addre.>^s  you  in  English 
also,  in  order  to  acknowleilgc  the  gracious  hospitality  of  our  hosts;  let  me  tell  you,  I,  who 
have  seen  the  congresses  of  the  Chambers  of  Commerce  grow,  how  comforting,  how  full 
of  hope  it  is  for  the  future,  to  see  this  large  number  of  delegates  present  in  this  hall. 
We  began,  as  you  have  heard  it  said  before,  in  Belgium,  where  we  were  only  a  few  hun- 
dred; the  work  has  grown,  has  developed;  we  went  to  Italy,  to  Bohemia,  to  London  — 
we  were  six  hundred  in  London  —  and  to-day,  gentlemen,  notwithstanding  the  difficul- 
ties of  the  trip  —  for  I  will  not  conceal  from  you  that  for  us  Europeans  the  crossing  of 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  143 

the  Atlantic  i-s  not  a  small  affair  —  we  have  come  from  the  old  world  more  than  seven 
hundred  strong,  to  answer  the  cordial  invitation  of  our  friends  of  tlie  United  States  of 
North  America. 

Thus  the  work  developed.  And  the  reason  is  verj'  simple;  it  is  because  men  of  good 
will,  as  you  all  are,  will  always  be  in  the  majority;  because  in  the  affairs  of  commerce, 
industry-  and  business,  the  same  thought  animates  us  all.  We  are  all  conscious  of  the 
general  interest  of  the  community,  and  as  a  general  rule,  when  we  discu.ss  our  questions, 
we  agree  immediately.     This  is  the  reason  for  meetings  similar  to  the  present  one. 

I  have  been  very  happy  to  hear  the  Honorable  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  the  United  States  tell  us  of  the  influence  of  commerce  on  international  rela- 
tions.    In  short,  one  may  say  that  commerce  means  peace.     (Applause.) 

I  do  not  wish  to  encroach  on  your  time,  as  we  have  to  begin  our  session  and  get  to 
work.  I  will  take  the  liberty,  as  a  courtesy  to  our  hosts,  to  tell  3'ou  in  English  how  I 
understand  our  work. 

M.  le  President:  Messieurs,  nous  commen^ons  done  nos  travaux.  Je  vous  dois  quel- 
quos  e.\])licatiuns  sur  la  fa^on  dont  nous  comptons  proc(?der.  Les  rapports  ont  6t6  envoy<5s 
en  trois  langues  differentes,  et  chacun  des  rajiporteurs  viendra  faire  devant  vous  un  bref  re.sum6 
de  CCS  rapports.  Nous  prierons  les  rai)porteurs  de  vouloir  bien,  apr^s  ce  r6sum(5,  transcrire  eux- 
memes,  pour  I'exactitude  des  renseignements  i\  donner  h  la  presse,  les  resumes  qu'ils  auront  faits. 

Messieurs,  avant  de  commencer  I'ordre  du  jour,  je  dois  vous  donner  connaissance  des 
t^l(5grammes  que  nous  avons  re^us. 

{Translatioji) 

L  Gentlemen,  we  are  about  to  begin  our  work.     It  is  proper  that  I  should  give  a  few 

■  explanations  of  our  methods  of  proceeding.  Reports  have  been  sent  to  you  in  three  dif- 
ferent languages,  and  each  of  the  Reporters  will  give  you  a  brief  summary  of  these 
reports.  We  would  ask  the  Reporters,  after  their  brief  statements,  to  kindly  transcribe, 
themselves,  for  the  sake  of  giving  exact  accounts  to  the  i)ress,  the  summaries  which 
they  will  have  made. 

Now,  gentlemen,  before  beginning  on  the  order  of  the  day,  I  wish  to  bring  to  your 
notice  some  of  the  telegrams  which  we  have  received: 

Remerciements  sinceres  pour  aimable  invitation;  malheureusement  impossible  en  profiter, 
vu  (flections  il  la  Douma.  Meilleurs  va'ux  pour  travaux  du  Congrcs.  ProspcJritd  pour  votre 
Chambre.  De  Miller,  President  de  Varsovie. 

{Translation) 

Sincere  thanks  for  kind  invitation;  unfortunately  impossible  to  take  advantage  of 
it,  on  account  of  elections  to  the  Douma.  Best  wishes  for  the  work  of  the  Congress,  and 
for  the  prosperity  of  your  Chamber.  De  Miller,  President,  Warsaic. 

T616gramme  de  la  Chambre  de  Commerce  de  Paris  et  les  Chambres  de  Commerce  ^tran- 
g^res  6tablies  ii  Paris,  exprimant  leurs  vccux  rdunis  pour  le  succ(!'s  le  plus  complet  du  Congr^s. 

{Translation) 

Telegram  from  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris  and  the  foreign  Chambers  of 
Commerce  established  in  Paris  expresses  their  united  wishes  for  the  complete  success 
of  the  Congress. 

-\s  President  and  on  behalf  of  London  Chamber  Commerce  and  myself,  I  wish  Congress 
all  success;  trust  that  among  other  useful  objects  achieved,  it  may  lead  statesmen  to  take  in 
hand  calendar  reform  and  fixed  Easter  date;  much  regret,  was  prevented  attending. 

Desbobocqh. 

I 

Compliments  have  also  been  received  from  the  Stockholm  Chamber  of  Commerce. 


144  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 


THE  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  A  FIXED  DATE  FOR  EASTER,  AND  THE 
REFORM  OF  THE  CALENDAR 

M.  Louis  Canon-Legrand,  President  of  the  Congress 

Messieurs: 

Pour  Ics  discussions,  je  prierais  les  orateurs  qui  voudront  prendre  la  parole  de  se  faire 
inscrire  en  donnant  leur  carte  de  visite  au  secretaire,  afin  de  savoir  exactemcnt  I'ordre  et 
les  noms  des  orateurs. 

L'ordre  du  jour  de  la  prdsente  stance  comporte  d'abord  une  communication  que  j'ai  h 
vous  faire  au  sujet  de  la  fixation  de  la  date  de  Paques. 

Vous  avez  tous  re^u  le  petit  rapport,  la  mise  au  point  de  la  question  que  j'ai  faite.  Je  la 
resume  en  quelques  mots:  ce  fut  en  1907  que  la  variability  de  la  fete  de  Pdques,  qui  pent  at- 
teindre  trente-cinq  jours,  fut  discut6e  par  nous.  Les  inconv^nients  r6sidaient  dans  la  vie 
commerciale,  dans  le  regime  des  6coles  et  dans  les  transactions  commerciales.  Si  PSquea 
tombe  en  mars,  c'est  une  saison  manquce  pour  certaines  industries.  Apres  le  Congres  en 
1908,  la  question  fut  port^e  i  l'ordre  du  jour.  Elle  etait  tres  connue  en  Allemagne,  mais  peu 
dans  les  autres  pays.  C'est  au  Congres  de  Londres,  en  1910,  il  y  a  deux  ans,  que  cette  ques- 
tion fut  traitee  k  fond,  ainsi  que  celle  de  la  fixite  du  calendrier.  II  est  essentiel  d'avoir,  dans  le 
calendrier,  un  nombre  exact  de  semaines;  il  faut  pour  cela  supprimer  un  jour  sur  les  365. 
Dans  toutes  les  industries,  dans  tous  les  commerces,  la  question  de  la  paye,  qui  se  fait  le  30 
du  mois  ou  le  15  du  mois,  peut  etre  r(5gl6e  ainsi  beaucoup  plus  rdgulidrement;  pour  les  banques, 
pour  les  maisons  de  finance,  il  est  essentiel  que  tous  les  mois  se  terminent  de  la  m6me  fa^on, 
et  le  Congres  de  Londres  a  done  dmis  I'avis  qu'il  serait  d(^sirable  d'arriver  i\  I'dtablissement  du 
calendrier  fixe  international. 

Vous  savez,  messieurs,  comment  nous  procddons.  Notre  comity  permanent  se  borne  h 
dmettre  des  va'ux,  et  nous  nous  efforgons  d'obtenir  de  Tune  ou  I'autre  nation  la  convocation 
de  conferences  diplomatiques  qui  am^nent  les  legislatures  des  differents  pays  i\  s'occuper  de 
ces  questions. 

Ce  fut  le  cas  pour  la  question  du  calendrier  au  sujet  de  laquelle  le  gouvemement  Suisse  a 
pris  I'initiative  de  conferences  intemationales.  Nous  n'avons  done  plus  k  discuter  cette 
question,  mais  ce  que  nous  tenons  k  faire,  c'est  de  la  vulgariser  en  Amdrique.  II  est  d'autant 
plus  int^ressant  de  signaler  la  chose,  que  cette  annde  meme,  en  juin  dernier,  il  y  a  quelques 
mois  k  peine,  le  Congres  des  Chambres  de  Commerce  de  I'Empire  Britannique  a  pass6  une 
resolution  unanime  k  ce  sujet. 

Voili  done,  messieurs,  le  but  de  ma  communication.  Je  I'ai  resum6  bri^vement.  Vous 
avez  tous  la  traduction  en  anglais  et  en  allemand,  mais  je  suis  pret  a  donner  la  parole,  et 
notamment,  j'ai,  comme  orateur  inscrit,  M.  F.  F.mthfull  Begg.  Je  suis  done  pret  i\  donner 
la  parole  k  ceux  qui  voudront,  dans  un  but  de  vulgarisation  plus  grand  en  AmC'rique,  entre- 
tenir  I'assembiee  de  la  question. 

{Translation) 
Gentlemen: 

During  the  discussion,  I  would  ask  the  speakers  who  wish  to  be  heard  to  register 
themselves  by  giving  their  visiting  cards  to  the  Secretarj-  in  order  that  we  may  know 
exactly  the  order  and  names  of  the  speakers. 

The  order  of  the  day  of  the  present  session  contains  first  a  communication  which  I 
have  to  make  to  you  on  the  subject  of  the  establishment  of  a  fbced  date  for  Easter. 

You  have  all  received  a  little  report  containing  a  brief  outline  of  the  question.  I 
will  sum  this  up  in  a  few  words:  In  1907  the  variability  of  the  season  of  Easter,  which 
can  extend  to  thirty-five  days,  was  discusseil  by  us.  Considerable  inconvenience  is  oc- 
casioned in  commercial  Ufe,  in  the  school  sessions  and  in  commercial  transactions.    If 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  145 

Easter  falls  in  March  it  is  a  ruined  season  in  certain  industries.  After  the  Congress 
of  1908,  the  question  was  placeil  on  the  order  of  the  day.  It  wa.s  already  well  known 
in  Germany,  but  Httle  in  other  countries.  At  the  Congress  of  London,  in  1910,  two 
years  ago,  this  question  was  discussed  thoroughly,  as  well  a-s  that  of  the  uniforinitj'  of 
the  calendar.  It  is  essential  to  have  in  the  calendar  an  exact  number  of  weeks.  It 
therefore  becomes  necessarA*  to  suppress  one  day  of  the  365.  In  all  industries,  in  all 
business,  the  question  of  payment  of  wages,  when  made  the  30th  of  the  month  or  the 
15th,  can  be  arranged  far  more  conveniently;  for  banks  and  financial  hou.ses  it  is 
important  that  all  the  months  should  end  on  the  same  day,  and  the  London  Congress 
has  therefore  expressed  the  opinion  that  it  would  be  desirable  to  arrange  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  fixed  international  calendar. 

You  know,  gentlemen,  how  we  proceed.  It  is  the  duty  of  our  Permanent  Com- 
mittee to  pass  votes,  and  we  make  efforts  to  obtain  from  one  nation  or  another  the 
convocation  of  diplomatic  conferences  which  shall  lead  the  legislatures  in  the  different 
countries  to  take  up  these  questions. 

Such  was  the  case  with  the  question  of  the  calendar  in  regard  to  which  the  Swiss 
Government  took  the  initiative  to  bring  about  international  conferences.  It  is  there- 
fore no  longer  necessarj'  for  us  to  discuss  this  question,  but  what  we  have  to  do  is  to 

*  popularize  it  in  America.  It  is  therefore  the  more  interesting  to  note  the  fact  that  this 
present  year,  in  June  last,  that  was  only  a  few  months  ago,  the  Congress  of  Chambers 
of  Commerce  of  the  British  Empire  unanimously  pas.sed  a  resolution  on  this  subject. 

This,  gentlemen,  is  the  puqiose  of  my  report.  I  have  summed  it  up  briefly.  You 
all  have  the  tran.slation  in  English  and  in  German,  and  I  am  ready  to  yield  to  another 
speaker,  having  noted  Mr.  F.  Faithfull  Begg.  We  are  then  ready  to  hear  those 
who  wish  to  speak  to  the  meeting  on  this  question  with  the  purpose  of  a  greater  popu- 
lar interest  in  the  topic  in  America. 

I 

Mr.  F.  Faithfull  Begg,  Chairman  of  (he  Council  of  (he  London  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen: 

I  desire,  having  been  especially  requested  to  do  so,  to  say  a  ver\'  few  words  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  President's  communication  on  behalf  of  the  London  Chamber  of  Commerce,  which 
I  have  the  honor  to  represent  here  on  this  occasion.     (Applause.) 

The  London  Chamber  of  Commerce,  ever  since  it  was  instructed  in  the  merits  of  this 
controversy  by  your  respected  President  some  years  ago,  has  been  enthusiastically  in  favor 
of  the  reforms  which  he  so  eloquently  advocates. 

There  are  two  questions  involved,  two  questions  of  ver>'  great  importance.  One  is  the 
regularization  of  the  date  of  Easter,  and  there  is  the  question  of  the  adoption  of  a  new  calen- 
dar .system.  Now  I  shall  not  detain  you  more  than  a  very  few  minutes,  but  I  should  like  to 
Bay  a  few  words  upon  each  of  these  subjects. 

Po.ssibly  here  in  the  United  States  you  may  not  have  appreciated  the  difficulties  which 
arise  in  connection  with  the  variable  date  upon  which  Easter  falls.  These  difficulties  are  well 
explained  in  the  communication  of  the  President,  and  I  do  not  propose  to  enter  into  them  at  all. 

What  I  wish  to  point  out  more  particularly  to  thase  who  have  not  perhaps  profoundly 
studied  this  subject,  is  that  there  is  no  reason  whatever  why  you  should  have  a  variable  date 
for  Easter.  It  is  an  old  arrangement,  into  the  reasons  for  which  I  will  not  enter,  but  if  we  would 
only  be  content  to  regulate  Easter  by  the  sun,  instead  of  regulating  the  date  by  the  moon, 
we  should  get  to  a  point  where  we  might  have  annually  a  fixed  date  for  Easter. 

That  seems  a  ver>'  simple  matter,  but  it  is  by  no  means  .so  simple;  and  it  is  satisfactory 
to  know  that,  looking  at  the  difficulties  from  an  international  point  of  view,  this  Congress 
has  already  been  able  to  interest  the  various  govermuents  in  Eurojie  in  the  question,  and  I 
think  we  may  fully  hope  that  in  a  short  time  a  satisfactory  result  will  be  brought  about. 

One  point  I  desire  to  mention  in  connection  with  both  questions:  I  will  state  that  my 


I 


146  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

own  Chamber  is  in  favor,  but  I  wish  to  draw  your  special  attention  to  a  paragraph  in  the 
President's  communication  toward  the  close,  where  he  mentions  that  the  seventh  Congress 
of  Chambers  of  Commerce  of  the  British  Empire,  meeting  last  June,  passed  unanimously  a 
favorable  resolution. 

I  wish  to  point  out  to  you  that  that  represents  the  combined  wisdom,  if  I  may  use  the 
word  "wisdom,"  of  the  Chambers  of  Commerce  of  the  British  Empire,  a  new  organization 
which  has  been  brought  into  existence  quite  recently  which  met  the  other  day  in  London  and 
which  contained  in  its  membership  representative  men  from  all  parts  of  the  British  Empire. 

Now,  gentlemen,  with  your  permission  I  should  like  to  say  one  word  about  the  calendar. 
I  am  not  going  to  discuss  the  calendar,  because  again,  the  President  has  provided  us  with  full 
information  with  regard  to  what  it  is  proposed  should  be  done  in  that  connection,  but  I  wish 
to  mention  for  a  special  reason  a  fact  which  I  tliink  is  perhaps  not  well  known  to  every  one 
in  this  room,  and  it  is  this:  That  there  is  here,  on  the  American  continent,  proof  that  before 
America  was  discovered  by  Columbus  there  existed  on  these  shores  a  system  for  the  most 
accurate  adjustment  of  civil  and  solar  time,  and  a  s3-stem  which  was  superior  in  its  method 
to  that  in  use  in  Europe  in  the  days  of  Columbus,  and  to  the  calendar  year  under  which  we 
regulate  our  affairs  to-da}',  the  calendar  of  the  Pope  Gregorj'. 

You  may  see  for  yourselves,  if  you  choose  to  visit  the  place,  the  calendar  stone  of  the 
Aztecs  of  Mexico.  It  exists  in  the  form  of  a  sun-stone,  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  sculptured 
with  great  dexterity  and  fineness,  and  this  stone  is  both  a  sun-dial  and  a  calendar  similar  to 
that  which  was  used  by  the  EgjTJtians  and  the  Chaldeans  in  time  long  gone  by.  By  means 
of  this  stone  the  Mexican  priests  determined  not  onlj*  the  time  of  day,  but  they  determined 
the  solstices,  and  they  kept  account  of  years  and  of  days.  On  the  face  of  the  stone  there  are 
inscriptions  including  the  division  of  the  year  into  weeks  and  into  days,  and  the  extraordinary 
thing  is  that  that  stone  includes  also  the  computation  of  centuries,  with  greater  exactness, 
as  I  have  said,  than  that  of  the  modem  Gregorian  calendar. 

The  error,  and  those  of  you  who  understand  the  error  in  the  calendar  will  appreciate  the 
force  of  this  point,  is  equivalent  to  only  one  day  in  thousands  of  years.     {Applause.) 

This  stone  is  supposed  to  have  been  made  in  the  year  1479  of  our  Lord;  but  the  science 
upon  which  it  is  based  must  have  taken  enormous  periods  to  evolve,  wherever  that  science 
came  from,  whether  it  was  European  or  native  bom.  How  that  stone  came  into  existence 
nobody  has  been  able  to  determine;  but  there  it  is. 

Now  I  have  mentioned  this  extraordinar>-  fact  because  in  conversation  with  the  Presi- 
dent, who  is  a  master  of  this  subject,  I  mentioned  it  to  him.  I  do  not  suppose  he  will  think  I 
am  giving  away  his  confidence  when  he  told  me  frankly  that  he  had  never  heard  of  it.  And 
I  suppose  there  must  be  gentlemen  here  present  from  Europe  who  are  in  the  same  position. 
I  am  perfectly  satisfied  that  everj-  one  here  who  comes  from  the  United  States  knows  all 
about  this  stone  (laughter),  has  carefully  examined  it  and  has  probably  a  theory  of  how  it 
came  into  e.xistence.  My  idea  is  that  this  stone  should  be  brought  into  play  in  connection 
with  the  proposal  for  the  reform  of  the  calendar,  and  at  all  events  that  the  system  in  exis- 
tence, as  I  have  said,  in  this  countr\'  before  the  discover^'  of  the  countrj'  by  Columbus  should 
have  a  show  in  the  negotiations  which  are  going  on  in  connection  with  the  reform  of  the 
calendar.     (Applause.) 

M.  le  President:  Je  remercie  M.  Begg  de  son  intif-ressante  communication.  II  est 
exact  que  c'est  une  contribution  nouvelle.  La  question  du  calendrier  a  6t6  ctudide,  nous 
n'avons  pas  I'intention  de  la  discuter  ^  nouveau,  mais  il  est  tres  intc'-ressant  de  savoir  qu'avant 
m6me  que  Christophe  Colomb  cut  d^couvert  TAmc/rique,  il  y  avait  dejiY  une  pierre  sur  laquelle 
un  calendrier  tres  reraarquable  avait  6iC'  trace,  par  dcs  Americains  qui  vous  prec^daient  tous. 

J'ai  encore  une  demande  de  parole  pour  le  calendrier,  de  M.  Ernst  Krause. 

(Translalion)  1 

I  wish  to  thank  Mr.  Begg  for  his  interesting  communication.     It  is  a  fact  that  thiS; 

is  a  new  contribution.    The  question  of  a  calendar  has  been  studied,  and  it  is  not  our 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  147 

intention  to  discuss  it  again,  but  it  is  vcrj-  interesting  to  know  that  even  before  Chris- 
topher Columbus  discovered  America  there  already  existed  a  stone  upon  which  a  very 
remarkable  calendar  was  engraved  by  Americans  who  preceded  all  of  you. 

1  have  a  further  request,  that  the  platform  be  given,  on  the  subject  of  the  calendar, 
to  Mr.  EuNST  Kr.\use. 

Herr  Ernst  Krause,  Vice-President  of  the  Lower  Austrian  Association  for  Promotion  of  Handi- 
craft, Vienna 

Meine  verehrten  Herren  vom  Fiinften  KongreC! 

Wir  haben  sehr  viel  dariibcr  gehiirt  und  gelesen,  wie  die  Vereinfachung  des  Kalenders 
durohpefiihrt  werden  soUte,  und  wie  es  moglich  ist,  Ostern  auf  einen  bestimmtcn  Tag  zu  Icgen. 

Die  Mitgiieder  der  Handelskammer,  die  ich  zu  vertreten  die  Ehre  babe,  sind  vollstiindig 
mit  allem  einverstanden,  was  in  dieser  Richtung  bcschlossen  wird;  aber,  meine  Herren,  wir 
sintl  prnktische  Kaufleute,  und  als  praktische  Kaufleute  miissen  wir  uns  sagen,  es  wird  noch 
einc  lange  Zeit  dauem,  bis  sich  alles  das  durchflihren  laCt,  was  hier  und  in  den  friihercn  Kon- 
gressen  beschlosscn  worden  ist. 

{Translation) 

Greatly  esteemed  Gentlemen  of  the  Fifth  Congress: 

We  have  heard  and  read  a  good  deal  concerning  the  simplification  of  the  calendar 
and  the  manner  in  which  it  will  be  possible  to  fi.\  a  definite  date  for  Easter. 

I  The  members  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  whom  I  have  the  honor  of  representing, 

are  entirely  conformable  with  everj-thing  that  is  going  to  be  decided  in  that  respect;  but 
considering,  gentlemen,  that  we  are  practical  merchants  we  necessarily  must  realize  as 
such  practical  merchants  that  it  will  require  a  long  time  before  everj'thing  can  be  adopted 
that  has  been  decided  in  former  congresses  and  which  may  be  decided  upon  now. 

At  this  point  the  speaker  was  interrupted  by  the  President  and  finished  his  remarks 
as  first  speaker  in  the  afternoon  session. 
Meeting  adjourned  at  12.2.5. 


^ 


148  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 


The  members  of  the  Congress  reassembled  at  2.30  p.m. 
President  Canon-Legrand 

Nous  rd.sumons  les  travaux  de  ce  matin. 

Je  commence  d'abord  par  vous  demandcr  de  laisser,  autant  que  possible,  la  premit  re 
rang6e  de  chaises  libre.  Cela  nou.s  pemiettra  de  donncr  aux  dt^k'guos  officiels  des  gouvcr- 
nements  Strangers,  qui  sont  une  trentaine,  la  place  :Y  laqucUe,  normalement,  ils  auraient  (  u 
droit  sur  I'e.strade.  Comme  celle-ci  est  trop  petite,  il  faut  bicn  que  nous  leur  donnions  satis- 
faction autremcnt  et  avoir  pour  eux  les  6gards  auxquels  ils  ont  droit. 

La  parole  est  continu6e  k  M.  Krause. 

(Translation) 

We  will  resume  our  labors  of  this  morning. 

I  will  begin  by  asking  you  to  kindly  leave  the  first  row  of  seats  vacant,  as  far  as 
possible.  This  will  permit  us  to  extend  to  the  official  delegates  of  foreign  governments 
the  right  which,  ordinarilj',  they  would  have  to  seats  on  the  platform.  As  the  platform 
is  not  large  enough,  we  .shall  have  to  make  other  arrangements  to  accord  them  the  iire- 
cedencc  to  which  they  are  entitled. 

Mr.  Krause  has  the  floor. 

Herr  Ernst  Krause  (continued) 

Maine  verehrten  Herren!  I 

Entschuldigen  Sie,  daC  ich  jetzt  noch  einmal  zuriickkomme  auf  das  Thema,  welches  wir 
heute  vormittag  begonnen  haben.  Ich  babe  Ihnen  bereits  zum  Ausdruck  gebracht,  dafi 
alle  maCgebenden  Faktoren  in  Wien  damit  cinvcrstandcn  sind,  daC  das  Osterfest  auf 
einen  bestimmten  Tag  gelegt  wird,  und  daC  cin  einheitlicher  Kalender  fiir  die  ganze  Welt 
eingefuhrt  wird.  Aber  ich  wollte  auch  zum  Ausdruck  bringcn,  dafi  es  sehr  vmpraktisch  wiire, 
wenn  wir  darauf  warten  wollten,  bis  die  kirchlichcn  Autoritiiten  und  die  staatlichen  Autori- 
taten  sich  bereit  finden,  sich  liber  einen  derartigen  einhcitlichen  Kalender  zu  einigen.  Bis 
dahin,  meine  Herren,  mussen  wir  praktischen  Kaufleute  etwas  anderes  finden,  um  das  l^bel 
wenigstens  cin  klein  wenig  zu  beseitigen,  und  da  mochtc  ich  den  geehrten  Herren  ins  C!o- 
dachtnis  zuruckrufen,  dafi  wir  in  jcdem  Lande  bis  heute  vollsliindig  ohne  Kenntnis  des-^cn 
sind,  wclche  Feicrtage  und  Ruhetage  in  don  anilcren  Liimlern  iiblicli  sind,  und  wenn  wir  auch 
das  cine  odor  andore  Mai  es  in  unseren  Zoitungcn  leson,  so  verges.scn  wir  sehr  sohnell  dariilxT, 
und  koin  Kaufmann  kann  sich  die  Tage  aller  dor  Lander,  mit  welchen  er  korro.spondicrt,  iin 
Gcdachtnis  bohalton,  vmi  seine  Dispositionen  entsprechend  zu  treffen.  Ich  will  Ihnen  gaiiz 
kurz  oin  Boispiol  gobcn: 

Ich  hatto  moine  Di.sposit ionon  so  getrofTen,  dafi  ich  am  2.  September  in  New  York  oin- 
treffe,  vom  Morgon  des  2.  Septembers  bis  zum  Abend  eine  bestimmte  Arbeit  verrichte  und 
dann  nach  Chicago  weitorfahre.  Ich  hatte  keine  Ahnung  davon,  daC  am  2.  September  dcr 
Labor  Day  ist,  an  welchem  es  unmoglich  ist,  irgcndwclcho  Goschafto  in  Amerika  zu  verrichton. 
Nun  glaube  ich,  dafi  dem  cin  klein  wenig  abgoholfon  wordon  kiinnte,  wenn  wir,  die  wir  ira 
intcrnationalen  Vorkohr  stohen,  auf  unseren  Bricfbopon,  auf  un.<:eron  Mittoilungcn  an  unsore 
Geschjiftsfreunde  im  intcrnationalen  Verkohr  diojonigon  Tage  annoncieron,  an  wok-hen  wir 
nicht  arboiton.  Dadurch  konnon  wichtigc  Intorcsson  goschont  werdon.  Vielc  Geschiifte  hangen 
davon  ab,  daC  man  innorhalb  einer  ganz  bestimmten  Zeit  eine  Antwort  erteilt.      Und  wenn 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  149 

man  diese  Antwort  nicht  bekoninien  kann,  weil  der  andere  Partner  einon  FeiertaK  hat  und 
keine  Telogranime  bekommt,  so  konnen  dadurch  grosse  Interesscn  peschiidigt  wcnlen. 

AuCerdom,  meine  Ilerren,  glaube  ich,  dal3  os  miiglich  ist,  auch  die  groCcn  Tageszcitungen 
aller  Lander  tlahin  zu  interes-sicrcn,  dafi  auch  dicse  jedes  Mai,  wenn  in  einem  anderen  Lande 
Feiertag  ist,  diese  Mittcilung  dcm  Publikuni  zukoninien  hissen.  Wenn  auf  diese  Weise,  sowohl 
durch  unsere  eigene  Korresjionilenz  als  auch  durch  die  Tageszeitungcn  venjffentlicht  wird, 
wann  Feiertage  sind,  so  wird  bis  zur  Festlegung  des  internal  ionalen  Kalenders  ein  groCer 
Teil  desjenigen  Schadens  vcrmieden  werden,  der  uns  so  oft  trifft  und  der  uns  dahin  gefiihrt 
hat,  daC  wir  einen  intemationalen  Kalender  anstreben.  Aus  diesem  Grunde  bitte  ich  den 
Fiinften  KongreB  der  vereinigten  Handelskamniern  meinen  Vorschhig  zu  unterstiitzen,  daB 
alle  Handelskammorn  aufgefordert  werden,  ihrc  Mitglieder  dahin  zu  iufonnieren,  daC  sie  auf 
ihren  Briefkopfen  die  Feiertage  des  eigenen  Landes  angeben  und  femer  dahin  wirken,  daC  die 
Zeitungen  des  eigenen  Landes  die  Feiertage  der  fremden  Lander  annoncieren. 

(Translation) 
Gentlemen : 

Please  pardon  me,  if  I  refer  again  to  the  subject  which  we  began  this  morning. 
I  have  already  called  to  your  attention  that  all  important  factors  in  Vienna  have 
agreed  that  the  Easter  holiday's  should  be  set  for  a  definite  date  and  that  a  uniform 
calendar  should  be  introduced  for  the  entire  world,  but  I  also  wish  to  say  that  it  would  be 
very  impractical  if  we  should  wait  until  the  ecclesiastical  authorities  and  the  state 
authorities  are  ready  to  unite  on  such  a  uniform  calendar.  Lentil  then,  gentlemen,  we 
practical  business  men  must  find  another  solution  to  reduce  the  annoyance  in  a  measure. 
I  think  that  as  a  rule  we  citizens  of  the  various  countries  are  at  the  present  time  more  or 
less  ignorant  of  the  feasts  and  holidays  in  other  countries.  Even  though  we  may  read 
about  them  from  time  to  time  in  our  papers  we  are  liable  to  forget  verj'  soon  thereafter, 
and  no  merchant  can  keep  in  mind  the  holidays  of  all  the  countries  with  wliich  he  corre- 
sponds and  which  he  must  consider  in  his  arrangements.    I  will  give  you  a  brief  example: 

I  had  made  my  arrangements  to  arrive  in  New  York  on  September  2  to  do  certain 
definite  work  during  the  day  and  to  continue  my  trip  to  Chicago  that  evening.  I  had  no 
suspicion  that  September  2  was  Labor  Day,  upon  which  it  is  impossible  to  transact  busi- 
ness anywhere  in  America.  Now  I  think  that  this  could  be  somewhat  improved  if  those 
of  us  who  engage  in  international  business  would  state  on  our  letterheads  for  our  com- 
munications to  business  friends  abroad  the  li.st  of  days  upon  which  no  business  is  done. 
This  would  prevent  many  serious  mishaps.  Many  transactions  depend  on  the  receipt  of 
an  answer  within  a  limited  time.  And  if  this  answer  cannot  be  received  because  the  other 
party  has  a  holiday  and  does  not  receive  his  telegram,  large  transactions  are  Uable  to 
miscarr}-. 

Furthermore,  gentlemen,  I  believe  it  is  possible  to  interest  all  the  large  newspapers 
everj'where  and  have  them  publish,  for  the  benefit  of  the  public,  the  dates  of  holidays 
in  foreign  lands.  In  thLs  way,  until  the  inauguration  of  the  international  calendar,  a 
large  part  of  the  annoyances  which  have  harassed  us  up  to  the  present  time  can  be 
avoided,  until  we  have  agreed  upon  an  international  calendar.  For  these  reasons  I  ask 
the  Fifth  Congress  of  the  United  Chambers  of  Commerce  to  endorse  my  suggestion  that 
all  chambers  of  commerce  be  asked  to  advise  their  members  to  indicate  on  their  letterheads 
the  holiday's  in  their  own  countries  and  further  take  steps  to  have  their  newspapers  an- 
nounce the  holidays  in  foreign  cotmtries. 

M.  le  President:  Je  remercie  M.  Krause  pour  ses  obs€r\'ations.  U  vient  de  me  demander 
que,  en  attendant  que  Ton  ait  obtenu  le  calondrier  g(^n(^ral,  on  pui.sse,  au  moins,  de  pays  h  pays, 
savoir  quels  sont  les  jours  f(5ri6s.  Aujourd'hui,  dit-il,  les  conmien^ants  d'un  pays  ignorent 
quels  sont  les  jours  f^ri^s  dans  les  autres  pays.  C'est  done,  en  somme,  une  communication 
dont  nous  pouvons  simplement  faire  <?tat  dans  nos  procds-verbaux.    De  la  sorte,  toutes  lea 


150  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

chambres  de  commerce  aflBli^'CS  ii  notre  comit<5  permanent  seront  tenues  au  courant  de  ce  d(5pir 
tr^s  legitime. 

Je  ne  pense  pas  qu'il  soit  autrement  question  de  provoquer  une  decision  du  congr^s  5.  ce 
sujet.  J'estime  done  qire  nous  pouvons  prendre  I'inli^'ressante  proposition  de  M.  Krause  pour 
notification  h  tous  nos  adh6rents.    Vous  aurez  satisfaction  ainsi,  M.  Krause. 

Le  congrds,  done,  donnera  notification  h  tous  les  adWrents  de  rint(5ressante  obser\'ation 
que  vous  avcz  faite  et  qui  permettra  ainsi  aux  ncf-gociants  des  diff^rents  pays  de  savoir  d'avance 
quels  sont  les  jours  i6Ti6s  dans  un  pays  ou  dans  un  autre. 

J'ai  maintenant  comme  orateur  inscrit,  M.  Alfred  Aslett. 

{Transhjtion) 

I  beg  to  thank  Mr.  Krause  for  his  remarks.  He  asks  me  if  while  awaiting  the  intro- 
duction of  the  universal  calendar  we  might  at  least  know  from  countrj-  to  country'  what 
the  holidays  are.  At  present,  he  says,  the  business  men  of  one  country-  are  not  aware 
of  the  holidaj's  in  other  countries.  This  is,  in  brief,  a  communication  which  we  need 
only  to  note  in  our  proceedings.  In  this  manner  all  the  chambers  of  commerce  aflSl- 
iated  with  our  Permanent  Committee  will  be  informed  of  this  very  rea.sonable  desire. 

I  do  not  think  there  is  any  question  of  demanding  a  decision  of  the  Congress  on 
this  subject.  I  think,  therefore,  that  we  may  receive  the  very  interesting  suggestion 
made  by  Mr.  Krause  for  the  information  of  our  members.  This  will  probably  be  satis- 
factorj'  to  Mr.  Krause. 

The  Congress  will,  therefore,  advise  all  its  members  of  the  valuable  suggestion 
which  you  have  made  which  would  enable  business  men  of  different  countries  to  know 
in  advance  what  the  holidays  are  in  countries  abroad. 

I  will  now  recognize  the  next  speaker,  Mr.  Alfred  Aslett. 

Mr.  Alfred  Aslett,  Secretary  and  General  Manager  Furness  Railway;  Delegate  from  Barrow-in- 
Furness  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mr.  President,  Gentlemen: 

I  feel  diffident  in  speaking  on  this  subject,  for  many  others  are  more  capable  of  doing 
so  than  mj-self.  I  think  I  am  the  only  representative  of  the  English  railways  at  this  great 
Congress  to-day.  There  are  two  competitive  proposals  for  the  new  international  calendar 
which  have  been  .submitted  in  the  circular  which  you  have  all  seen  and  which  sets  them  forth 
in  detail.  That  of  Professor  Grosclaude  is  embodied,  so  far  as  England  is  concerned  —  and 
when  I  say  England  I  mean  Scotland  and  Ireland  as  well  —  in  Mr.  Robert  Pearce's  Calendar 
Reform  Bill.  The  other,  the  proposal  by  Mr.  John  C.  Robert.'^on,  is  embodied  in  Sir  Henry 
Dalziel's  Fixed  Calendar  Bill.  Of  the  first,  that  of  Professor  Grosclaude,  I  will  not  go  into 
details,  but  that  of  Mr.  Robertson,  which  I  think  appeals  to  most  of  us  —  I  hope  it  does  — 
provides  that  Sunday  will  be  the  first  day  in  every  month  and  Saturday  will  be  the  last  day, 
and  there  will  be  equal  quarters  each  of  three  months  or  ninety-one  days.  This  will  give  the 
364  days.  There  are  other  important  details  which  I  will  not  detain  the  Congress  by  going  in- 
to, because  I  might  take  far  too  long  and  we  .should  all  be  wearj*.  The  adoption  of  this 
plan,  as  stated  in  the  little  post-card  which  has  been  circulated,  would  simplify  commerce, 
banking,  bookkeeping  and  the  arrangement  of  all  public  and  jirivate  business,  and  effect  a 
saving  of  work,  worry  and  wa.ste.  To  that  .should  be  added  that  the  pajTnent  of  wages  which 
are  paid  monthly  would  be  greatly  facilitated. 

Speaking  as  one  of  the  railway  managers  in  Great  Britain,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying 
that  a  fixed  date  for  Easter,  either  as  proposed  by  Professor  Grosclaude,  —  that  is,  Easter  Sun- 
day on  April  14;  or  that  of  Mr.  John  C.  Robertson,  Easter  Sunday  April  15  —  would  be  of  great 
advantage.  Whitsunday,  of  course,  would  come  correspondingly  later.  Take  the  present 
year,  1912;  Easter  Sunday  fell  on  April  7.  Next  j'ear  Easter  Sunday  falls  on  March  23,  a 
difference  of  fourteen  days.    Whitsunday  fell  this  year  on  May  2G;  next  year,  it  will  fall  on 


i 


CHAMBERS    OF  COMMERCE  151 

May  11.  Obviouslj',  the  later  Easter  day  falls  the  better  it  will  be  for  the  general  public. 
The  days  are  longer,  the  weather  is  usually  more  favorable  than  in  March.  The  comparison 
of  revenue  and  expenditure  for  the  current  year,  compared  with  the  corresjionding  week  for 
the  previous  year,  is  not  interfered  with.  The  receipts,  subject  to  weather  —  and,  may  I 
say,  strikes  —  are  usually  better  in  April  than  in  March.  Whitsunday  will  also  be  corre- 
spondingly later,  as  I  have  already  said,  with  similar  advantages. 

The  religious  aspect  of  the  question  has,  of  course,  to  be  faced.  This,  however,  ought 
not  to  stand  in  the  way  of  the  adoption  of  some  measure  of  calendar  reform,  whether  in  regard 
to  the  months  or  the  days,  or  by  fixing  the  date  for  Easter.  It  was  in  the  sixteenth  century 
—  if  I  remember  right,  in  1582  —  when  England  finally  accepted  —  and  I  think  she  did  so 
largely  from  a  commercial  point  of  view  —  the  Gregorian  calendar  as  it  now  exists.  The 
question  had  been  more  or  less  under  consideration  for  about  two  hundred  years  and  many 
difhculties  had  to  be  gotten  over,  and  I  think  the  Roman  church  called  in  astronomers  to  adjust 
the  Julian  calendar. 

I  was  present  at  the  Fourth  International  Congress  held  in  London  in  June,  1910,  when 
an  important  resolution  was  passed  in  favor  of  calentlar  reform,  which  I  am  plea.scd  to  say  I 
supported.  Switzerland  was  asked  to  take  some  initiative  after  that  resolution.  I  am  not  quite 
sure  how  far  Switzerland  has  been  able  to  do  so;  I  am  afraid  she  has  not  made  much  progress. 
It  would,  I  consider,  be  extremely  unfortunate  if  the  Fifth  International  Congress  of  Chambers 
of  Commerce,  held  in  this  hospitable  city  of  Boston,  should  not  in  principle  —  I  will  not  say 
in  detail  —  confinn  what  was  done  in  London  two  years  ago,  and  I  sincerely  hope  that  a  reso- 
lution to  amend  the  existing  calendar  will  be  carried  unanimously. 

M.  le  President:  M.  Aslett  vient  done  de  vulgariser  —  je  suis  heureux  qu'il  I'ait  fait  — 
des  choses  qui  ont  6t6  dites  au  congres  de  Londres  il  y  a  deux  ans.  Je  suis  heureux  de  constater 
que  les  compagnies  de  chemin  de  fer  aussi  trouvent  qu'il  serait  bon  d'avoir  la  date  de  Paques 
fixe  et  un  seul  calendrier. 

Comme  je  I'ai  dit  en  commen^ant,  nous  n'avons  pas  h  discuter  k  nouveau  la  question, 
die  a  d't6  discut(5e  i\  fond  b.  Londres,  et  elle  est  actuellement  aux  mains  du  gouvemement  Suisse 
pour  provoquer  une  conference  politique  intemationale.  Ce  que  nous  d6sirons,  c'est  avoir  ici 
la  confirmation  de  la  decision  prise  k  Londres  il  y  a  deux  ans,  h  savoir,  qu'il  est  desirable 
d'avoir  Paques  fLxe,  et  qu'il  est  desirable  d'avoir  un  calendrier  uniforme.  \'oil^  simplement 
ce  que  je  demande. 

Malntenant,  au  sujet  de  la  question  religieuse,  je  tiens  i  dire  un  mot.  II  est  clair  que  ce 
que  nous  demandons  ne  va  i  I'encontre  d'aucune  conviction  religieuse;  nous  respectons  toutea 
les  convictions;  mais  nous  estimons  que  toutes  les  religions  ont  int6r6t  k  avoir  et  peuvent  par- 
faitement  s'arranger  pour  avoir  un  calendrier  uniforme.  Voilil  ce  que  nous  disons,  nous, 
commergants  et  gens  d'affaires,  en  re.spectant  d'ailleurs  toutes  les  religions. 

Je  viens,  au  surplus,  de  recevoir  d'un  de  nos  colldgues  allemands  un  avis  qui  sorait  venu 
de  I'ambassade  allemande  h  Rome  h,  la  Chancellerie  h  Berlin,  disant  qu'il  scmblcrait  que 
la  Curie  romaine,  aussi  bien  que  I'^glise  grecque  catholique,  ne  .seraient  pas  disposdes  k 
envisager  la  question. 

II  semblerait  done  —  c'est  un  avis  simplement  qui  vient  d'Allemagne  —  qu'k  Rome, 
conune  en  Gr^cc,  on  ne  serait  pas  en  ce  moment  dispos<5.  Cela  n'empCche  en  rien,  messieurs, 
que  nous  confirmions  notre  vote.  Nous  ne  voulons  6tre  d^sagr^ables  k  personne,  nous  res- 
pectons toutes  les  convictions,  mais  nous  insistons  pour  dire,  entre  hommes  d'affaires  et 
commer^ants,  qu'il  est  d(!''sirable  d'avoir  Paques  fixe,  et  qu'il  est  d(5sirable  aussi  d'avoir  un 
calendrier  uniforme. 

Messieurs,  si  vous  fites  de  cet  avis,  je  demande  qu'on  l^ve  la  main.  {Levie  de  mains  gin6- 
ralc.) 

Dans  ces  conditions,  on  pent  done  consid6rer  qu'^  I'unanimit^  ce  Cinqui^me  Congrte  de 
Boston  confirme  ce  qui  a  6t6  d<5cid6  au  congres  de  Londres. 

Et  nous  passons  k  I'objet  suivant  k  I'ordre  du  jour. 


152  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

(Translation) 

Mr.  Aslett  then  has  just  popularized,  and  I  am  glad  that  he  haa  done  so,  things 
which  have  been  said  at  the  London  Congress  two  j-ears  ago.  I  am  glad  to  observe 
also  that  railroad  companies  find  that  it  would  be  good  to  have  the  date  of  Easter  fixed 
and  only  one  calendar. 

As  I  said  at  the  beginning,  we  have  not  to  discuss  the  question  anew,  since  it  was 
discu.ssed  thoroughly  in  London  and  is  at  the  present  time  in  the  hands  of  the  Swi.ss  Gov- 
ernment, which  will  call  for  an  international  political  conference.  What  we  desire  is  to 
have  here  the  confirmation  of  the  decision  taken  in  London  two  years  ago,  namely, 
that  it  is  desirable  to  have  a  fixed  Easter  and  also  a  uniform  calendar.  That  is  all  I 
am  asking. 

Now,  as  regards  the  rehgious  question  I  have  a  few  words  to  say.  It  is  obvious 
that  what  we  are  asking  does  not  go  against  any  religious  conviction;  we  respect  all 
convictions;  but  we  hold  that  all  religions  are  interested  to  have  a  uniform  calendar  and 
can  so  arrange  it.  This  is  what  we  think,  we  merchants  and  business  men,  while  re- 
specting at  the  same  time  all  religions. 

Furthermore  I  have  just  received  from  one  of  my  German  colleagues  a  notice 
which  is  supposed  to  have  come  from  the  German  Emba.s.sy  at  Rome  to  the  Chancel- 
lery at  Berlin,  saying  that  it  would  appear  that  the  Roman  Curia,  as  well  as  the  Greek 
Orthodox  Church,  would  not  be  disposed  to  consider  the  question. 

It  would  then  seem  that  this  was  a  notice  which  came  simply  from  Germany,  and 
that  Rome  as  well  as  Greece  is  not  favorably  disposed  at  this  time.  This  does  not 
prevent  us,  however,  from  confirming  our  vote.  We  do  not  wish  to  be  disagreeable 
towards  anj'body,  we  respect  all  convictions,  but  we  insLst  on  saying,  between  business 
men  and  merchants,  that  it  is  desirable  to  have  a  fixed  Easter  and  a  uniform  calendar. 

Gentlemen,  if  you  are  of  this  opinion,  I  pray  j'ou  to  raise  j'our  hands.  {General 
raising  of  hands.) 

In  these  conditions  we  may  consider  that  the  Fifth  Congress  held  in  Boston  unani- 
mously confirms  what  has  been  decided  at  the  London  Congress.  f 

We  now  pass  to  the  following  subject  in  the  order  of  the  day:  *■ 

\ 

THE   REGULATION    OF   INTERNATIONAL   EXPOSITIONS 

M.  Louis  Canon-Legrand,  President  of  the  Congress 

Messieurs,  cette  question  des  expositions  intemationales  est  tout  simplement  aussi  une 
question  de  notification.     Ce  fut  k  I'un  de  nos  prec(?dents  congrds,  k  Milan,  que  Ton  dmit 
I'avis  qu'il  .serait  desirable  de  cr6er  dans  les  difft'rents  pays  des  comit(5s  qui  seraient  charg^  i 
de  decider  la  participation  nationale  aux  expositions.     Le  Congrds  soumet  que  ces  comit4l ' 
devraient  6tre  li6s  entre  eux,  de  fa^on  k  former  un  organisme  international.    Cette  fois  encort 
nous  avons  eu  la  satisfaction  de  constater  qu'un  gouvcrnement,  le  gouvemement  Allemand,  I 
reprenait  nos  vocux  et  convoquait  i\  Berlin,  jwur  le  mois  d'octobre  i)rochain,  une  confereno* 
olficielle  intemationale  pour  traiter  de  cette  question. 

Mon  but,  done,  a  6x6  simplement  de  vous  dire  que  notre  Congres  ties  Chambres  de  Com- 
merce est  arriv6,  cette  fois  encore,  a  attirer  I'attention  des  gouvemements,  et  notre  rosultat 
k  nous  est  atteint,  puisque  nous  devons  nous  reporter  a  ce  qui  se  fera  le  mois  prochain  k  Berlin. 

Nous  ne  pouvons  pas  discuter  k  nouveau  cette  question  des  expositions,  mais  si  quel- 
qu'un  di'isire  ajouter  quelque  chose,  comme  documentation,  je  lui  donnerai  volontiers  la  parole. 

Personne  ne  demande  la  parole.  Je  considere  done  que  vous  avez  tous  eu  notification  de 
mon  rapport  et  que  vous  Hes  au  courant  de  la  question. 

M.  FiLENE  a  la  parole  pour  une  communication  venant  de  Chine  au  sujet  du  calendrier. 
Cela  vous  montrera  comme  cette  question  est  d'un  interet  general. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  153 

[Translation) 

Gentlemen,  this  question  of  international  expositions  is  also  simply  a  question  of 
notification.  It  was  (it  one  of  our  recent  congresses,  at  Milan,  that  the  opinion  was 
expressed  of  the  desirability  of  creating  in  different  countries  committees  which  would 
decide  on  the  national  jvirticipation  in  expositions.  The  Congress  submits  that  these 
committees  ought  to  be  joined  together  so  as  to  form  an  international  organi.^m.  Once 
again  we  had  the  satisfaction  to  observe  that  one  government,  the  German,  conincided 
with  our  wishes  and  convokeil  in  Berlin  for  next  October  an  oflit-ial  international  con- 
ference \o  handle  this  qiiestion. 

My  purpose,  therefore,  has  merely  been  to  tell  you  that  our  Congress  of  Chambers 
of  Commerce  has  again  been  successful  in  attracting  the  attention  of  governments,  and 
our  own  object  has  succeeded,  since  we  must  now  await  the  outcome  of  action  at  Berlin 
next  month. 

We  cannot  now  discuss  anew  the  question  of  expositions,  but  if  any  one  wishes  to 
add  anything,  for  the  sake  of  record,  I  will  gladly  allow  him  the  floor. 

As  no  one  wishes  the  floor,  I  consider  that  j'ou  have  all  been  notified  of  my  report, 
and  that  you  are  posted  on  the  subject. 

Mr.  FiLENE  has  the  floor  to  jiresent  a  communication  from  China  in  regard  to  the 
calendar.    This  serves  to  demonstrate  the  general  interest  of  this  question. 

Mr.  Edward  A.  Filene:  I  have  just  received  a  letter  from  the  Chinese  delegates  in  which 
they  say  that  the  sun  of  progress,  the  sun  of  new  times  has  come  to  China,  and  that  they  are 
in  hearty  accord  with  the  vote  that  has  just  been  taken  by  this  body  in  regard  to  the  question 
of  the  calendar.     {Applause.) 

M.  le  President:  Cela  est  done  particuli^rement  int^ressant  d'un  bout  k  I'autre  du 
monde,  tous  les  pays  s'interessent  i  la  question. 

(Translation) 

This  is,  therefore,  of  particular  interest  from  one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other; 
all  nations  are  interested  in  the  subject. 


ESTABLISHMENT  OF  AN  INTERNATIONAL  COURT  OF  ARBITRAL 
JUSTICE  FOR  SUITS  BETWEEN  INDIVIDUALS  AND  FOREIGN 
STATES 

M.  le  President:  Xous  continuons  notre  ordre  du  jour  et  nous  arrivoas  au  deuxi^me 
Bujet:  " Creation  d'un  Tribunal  arbitral  international  pour  litiges  entre  particuliers  et  £tats 
strangers." 

M.  M.vx  Apt  a  la  parole  pour  nous  r6sumer  son  rapport.  Vous  avez  tous  son  rapport  in 
txtenso  traduit  dans  les  trois  langues.  M.  Apt  veut  bien  nous  en  donner  \ixx  r<Ssvmi6  aussi 
court  que  possible. 

Un  quart  d'heure  est  accords  b.  M.  Apt.  Je  dLs  un  quart  d'heure,  parcc  que  nous  de- 
vons,  6videmment,  limiter  le  temps  de  chaque  orateur,  car  autrement  nos  travaux  n'avan- 
ceraient  guere. 

{Translation) 

Continuing  the  order  of  the  day,  we  arrive  at  the  second  topic:  "Establi.shment  of 
an  International  Court  of  Arbitral  Justice  for  Suits  between  Individuals  and  Foreign 
States." 


154  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Mr.  Max  Apt  has  the  floor  to  review  his  report.  You  all  have  his  report  in  full, 
translated  into  the  three  languages.  Mr.  Apt  will  kindh-  give  us  a  summary  as  briefly 
as  po.^sible. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  is  allowed  for  Mr.  Apt,  since  we  must,  evidently,  limit  the  time 
of  each  speaker,  as  otherwise  our  work  will  be  too  much  delayed. 

Dr.  Max  Apt,  Syndic  of  "Die  Allesten  der  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin" 

Gentlemen: 

I  must  ask  you  to  pardon  me  if  I  do  not  make  my  entire  speech  in  English  as  I  am  afraid 
that  my  English  pronunciation  is  not  of  the  best;  but  you  have  received  the  report  which  has 
already  given  you  a  good  idea  of  what  I  am  going  to  say.  I  wish  to  explain  to  you  that  it  is 
ven.'  difficult  for  a  business  man  who  has  business  relations  with  a  foreign  State  to  obtain  his 
rights.  Therefore  I  propo.se  the  foundation  of  an  International  Arbitration  Court,  established 
at  The  Hague,  in  which  it  shall  be  possible  for  business  men  having  dealings  with  foreign  States 
to  have  their  differences  settled. 

{Continuing  in  French) 

Messieurs,  vous  avez  entre  vos  mains  un  rapport  imprim(5  sur  I'^tablissement  d'un  tri- 
bunal international  pour  les  diff'<5rends  entre  les  Etats  etrangers  et  les  particuliers;  il  vous 
donne  un  clair  ajier^u  du  but  que  nous  poursuivons.  ^ 

II  est  de  toute  n6cessite  que  le  commer^ant,  que  I'industriel  qui  fait  des  affaires  avec  un  ., 
£tat  Stranger,  puisse,  s'il  a  un  diff'erend  avec  lui,  soumettre  ce  difT(5rend  a  un  tribunal  et  ob- ( 
tenir  justice,  tout  comme  quand  il  a  un  diffcrend  avec  un  particulier  de  nationalit6  (^trangere.'?" 
Mais  la  r<5alite  nous  apprend  que  cette  justice,  il  a  toutes  les  peines  du  monde  aujourd'hui  k 
se  la  faire  rendre  dans  ses  difft^rends  avec  un  £iat  etranger.    II  est  done  necessaire  que  soit: 
constitue  un  tribunal  international  devant  lequel  les  commer^ants  ou  industriels  puissent 
porter  leurs  diffcrends  avec  un  Etat  (!"tranger.    Et  je  vais  dc-montrer  que  les  arguments  que, 
de  maints  c6t(5s,  on  a  fait  valoir  contrc  la  realisation  de  ce  vceu  si  legitime,  sont  sans  foa 
dement. 


I 


(Translation) 

Gentlemen,  j-ou  have  in  your  hands  a  printed  report  on  the  establishment  of  an 
international  court  for  diff'erences  between  foreign  States  and  individuals;  this  will 
give  you  a  clear  idea  of  our  intentions. 

It  is  quite  necessary  that  a  merchant  or  a  manufacturer  who  does  business  with  a 
foreign  State  should  in  case  of  a  difference  with  the  latter  be  able  to  submit  this  differ- 
ence to  a  court  and  obtain  justice  just  as  when  he  has  a  difference  with  an  individual. 
But  in  reality,  we  find  many  diflSculties  in  the  way  of  obtaining  such  justice  to-day.  1| 
It  is  therefore  necessary  that  an  international  court  should  be  established  before  which  ' 
merchants  or  manufacturers  can  carry  their  suits  against  foreign  States,  and  I  shall 
proceed  to  show  that  the  arguments  which  have  been  advanced  on  many  sides  again-t 
the  realization  of  this  most  reasonable  desire  are  unfounded. 

(Continuing  in  Gcrmari) 
Meine  Herren! 

Der  Schiedsgerichtsgedanke  hat  auf  dem  Gebiete  des  Volkerrechts  bereits  seine  Triumphc 
gefeiert.    Die  erste  Haager  Friedens-Konferenz  vom  Jahre  1S99  hat  neben  der  Kriegsrechts- 
Konvention  eine  Schiedsgerichts-Konvention  geschaffen  und  zur  Fiihrung  volkerrechtlicher 
Streitigkeiten  zwischen  einzdnen  Slaaten  ist  ein  permanenter  und  jederzeit    zugiinglicher  :     t 
Schied.sgerichtshof  niit  dem  Sitze  im  Haag  errichtet  wordcn.    Freilich  handelt  es  sich  hier  nicht  | 
urn  einen  stiindigen  Weltgcrichtshof,  vielmehr  wird  durch  Ernennung  seitens  der  Staaten, I' 
von  denen  jeder  Staat  bis  zu  vier  Richtern  bestellen  kann,  eine  Liste  von  Weltschieds- 
richtem  aufgestellt,  aus  der  jederzeit  ein  Schiedsgericht  durch  die  streitenden  Parteien  ge- 
bildct  warden  kann,  um  eine  schwebende  Streitigkeit  zu  erledigen.    Bekanntlich  hat  Carnegie  ^ 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  155 

ein  Kapital  von  anderthalb  Millionen  Dollar  zur  Verfiigung  gestclit  zur  Errichtung  eines 
Palastes  fiir  cin  AN'eltschiedsgericht.  Der  I'alast  wirti  deniniichst  seiner  Bestiininung  iiber- 
geben  werden.  In  den  crsten  10  Jahren  seit  der  ersten  Haager  Friedens-Konferenz  sind  tlem 
stiindigen  Weltschiedsgericht  sechs  Streitigkeiton  von  grol3cr  Hedeutung  ubergeben  worden. 

Ich  erwidine  hier  den  Streit  zwischen  Dcutschland,  England  und  Italien  einerseits  und 
Venezuela  andcrerseits  wegen  Forderungen  an  die  Staatskasse  von  Venezuela  aus  dcra  Jahre 
1903;  an  den  Streit  zwischen  Deutschland,  England  und  f>ankreich  einerseits  und  Japan 
andererscits  wegen  Auslegiing  von  Vertragsbestimmungcn  beziiglich  der  Steuerpflicht  der  in 
Japan  ansassigen  Europiier  aus  dem  Jahre  1902  und  endlich  an  den  beriihmten  Casablanca- 
Streitfall  zwischen  Deutschland  und  Frankreich  aus  dem  Jahre  190S. 

'  Die  zweite  Haager  Friedens-Konferenz  ini  Jahre  1907  hat  das  Wcrk  der  ersten  Konferenz 
verbessert  und  ergilnzt.  Wenn  soinit  auf  dem  Gebiete  des  offent lichen  internationalen 
Rechts  groCe  Fortschritte  zu  verzeichnen  sind,  kann  man  dasselbe  nicht  von  dem  Gebiete  des 
internationalen  Privatrechts  behaupten,  und  mit  Recht  fordert  Zorn  in  seinem  kiirzlich  er- 
schienencn  Buche  ,,Das  deutsche  Recht  und  die  internationale  Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit."  daU 
die  Frage  der  internationalen  Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit  einer  befriedigenden  Losung  zugefiihrt 
werde. 

Zu  dcnjenigen  Fragen,  welche  in  erster  Reihe  in  Angriff  genommen  werden  miissen,  ge- 
hort  die  Frage  der  Schaffung  eines  internationalen  Schiedsgerichts  fiir  Streitigkeiten  zwischen 
Privatpersoncn  und  ausliindischen  Staaten. 

Eine  Enquete,  welche  die  Altesten  der  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin  in  ihrem  Wirtschafts- 
gebiete  angestcllt  haben,  hat  ergeben,  dafi  der  jetzt  bestehende  mangelnde  Rechtsschutz  eine 
groCe  Reihe  von  Firmen  von  Anfang  an  abhalte,  mit  ausliindischen  Staaten  Geschtiftsverbin- 
dungen  einzugehen.  Der  mangelnde  Rechtsschutz  werde  von  den  Schuldnerstaaten  hiiufig 
dazu  benutzt,  unbegriindete  Bemiingelungen  zu  erheben,  nicht  berechtigte  Abzuge  vora 
Kaufpreis  zu  machen,  die  Zahlungsfristen  ungebiihrlich  auszudehnen. 

Es  wurtle  ausgefuhrt,  wenn  das  jetzt  bestehende  MiBtrauen  gegeniiber  auslandischen 
Staaten  durch  die  Errichtung  eines  internationalen  Schiedsgerichts  geschwunden  sei,  viele 
Firmen  eine  grofie  Reihe  von  Geschiiften  machen  wiirden,  die  sie  jetzt  unterlieCen.  Schon  das 
bloCe  Bestehen  eines  solchen  Schiedsgerichts  wiirde  dazu  beitragen,  daC  die  Staaten  in  ihren 
vermogensrecht lichen  Beziehungen  zu  Privatpersoncn  kulanter  wiirden,  und  daC  sie  nament- 
lich  piinktlicher  und  schncller  zahlten.  Das  Bediirfnis  nach  einer  gesetzUchen  Regelung  tritt 
umso  dringender  hcr\'or,  als  unsere  ganze  wirtschaftliche  Entwicklung  dahin  geht,  als  die 
Staaten  gewerbhche  und  kommerzielle  Untemehmungen  in  hoherem  MaCe  betreiben  wie  bis- 
her  und  dafi  sie  dadurch  in  mannigfache  Beziehungen  zu  Privatpersoncn  treten.  Wenn  aber 
der  Staat  in  den  privatwirtschaftlichen  Vcrkehr  cintritt,  so  widerspricht  es  unserem  Rechts- 
bewuCtsein,  dafi  er  dann  anders  behandelt  wird  wie  jede  andere  Privatperson,  und  da(3  in 
einem  solchen  Falle  dem  Privatmann  kein  direktes  Klagerecht  gegen  den  auslandischen  Staat 
zustchen  soil.  Denn  in  Wirklichkeit  ist  eine  Verfolgung  privatrechtlicher  Anspruche  gegen 
einen  auslandischen  Staat  mit  den  groBten  Schwierigkciten  verkniipft.  Wenn  man  den  Gliiu- 
biger  darauf  verweist,  dafi  er  den  fremden  Staat  vor  den  cigenen  Gerichten  im  Ausland  ver- 
klagen  konne,  so  ist  doch  in  Betracht  zu  ziehen,  dafi  die  rechtiichen  Einrichtungen  aller 
Staaten  nicht  so  sind,  daB  mit  Sichcrheit  auf  ein  zutrefTendes  Urteil  uber  die  meist  sehr  schwie- 
rigen  Fragen  des  internationalen  Privatrechts  gerechnet  werden  kann.  Dazu  kommt,  daB  der 
Schuldnerstaat  innerhalb  seines  Gebietcs  Ge.•^etzgeber  ist  und  hat  es  daher  in  der  Hand,  ob 
er  vor  seinen  Gerichten  Recht  nehmen  will.  Man  braucht  keineswegs  an  eine  bewuBte  Rechts- 
beugung  oder  Justizverweigerung  zu  denken,  um  die  in  der  Geschiiftswelt  bestehende  Abnei- 
gung  zu  verstehen,  die  Gerichte  des  auslandischen  Staates  gegrn  diescn  Staat  selbst  anzurufen. 

Wenn  man  den  Gliiubiger  femer  darauf  hinweist,  daB  er  den  fremden  Staat  im  Heimats- 
staat  verklagen  konne,  so  geht  die  herrschende  Meinung  in  Theorie  und  Praxis  dahin,  daB 
kein  Staat  iiber  den  andcren  zu  Gericht  sitzen  darf,  da  das  geltcnde  Volkerrecht  die  Aus- 
dehnung  der  inliindischen  Gerichtsgewalt  auf  fremde  Staaten  nicht  gestatte.  So  hat  bei- 
spielaweise  das  Reichsgcricht  es  als  anerkannten  Grundsatz  des  Volkerrechts  hingestellt,  dafi 


k 


156  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

ein  auslandischer  Staat  auch  aus  rein  privatrechtlichen  Ansi)ruchen  vor  den  inlandischen 
Gerichten  nicht  belangt  werden  diirfe.  Es  wird  dort  ausgefiihrt,  es  stehe  fest,  daC  die  hoheren 
Gerichte  in  Deutschland,  Osterreich,  Frankreich,  England  und  den  Vereinigten  Staaten  von 
Nordamerika  fast  stjindig  zum  Ausdruck  gebracht  haben,  der  auslandlsche  Staat  sei  in  der 
Kegel  auch  bei  privatrechtlichen  Anspriichen  der  Gerichtsbarkeit  der  Gerichte  eines  anderen 
Staates  nicht  unterworfen. 

Man  kann  den  Gliiubiger  auch  nicht  auf  die  in  Nr.  2  des  Reichsgesetzblatte.s  von  1910 
veroffentlichte  Haager  Konvention  liber  die  „Dettes  contractuelles"  vom  18.  Oktober  1907 
verweisen.  Die.se  Haager  Konvention  triigt  in  der  im  Reichsgesetzblatt  veroflfentlichtcn  dcut- 
schen  Ubersetzung  die  t^berschrift :  ,,Abkomnien,  betreffend  die  Beschriinkung  der  Anwen- 
dung  von  Gewalt  bei  der  Eintreibung  von  \'ertragsschulden"  und  lautet  in  den  maCgebenden 
Artikeln: 

,,Art.  1.  Die  Vertragsmachte  sind  iibereingekommen,  bei  der  Eintreibung  von  Vertrags- 
schulden,  die  bei  der  Regiening  eines  Landes  von  der  Regierung  eines  anderen  Landes  fiir 
deren  Angehorige  eingefordert  werden,  nicht  zur  Waffengewalt  zu  schreiten." 

Diese  Bestimmung  findet  keine  Anwcndung,  wenn  der  Schuldnerstaat  ein  Anerbieten 
schiedsgerichtlicher  Erledigung  ablehnt  oder  unbeantwortet  laf5t  oder  ira  Falle  der  Annahme 
den  AbschluC  des  Schiedsvertrags  vereitelt  oder  nach  dem  Schieds\'ertrage  dem  Schiedsspruche 
nicht  nachkommt. 

,,Art.  2.  Man  ist  fcrner  iibereingekommen,  daC  die  in  Absatz  2  des  vorstehendcn  Artikels 
erwahnte  Schiedssprechung  dem  in  Titcl  IV  Kapitel  3  des  Haager  Abkommens  zur  fricdlichen 
Erledigung  intemationaler  Streitfiiile  vorgesehenen  \'erfahren  unten\orfen  sein  soil.  In  Er- 
mangelung  besonderer  Abreden  der  Parteien  entscheidet  der  Schiedssjirucli  liber  den  Grund 
des  Anspruchs,  iiber  die  Hohe  der  Schuld,  sowie  liber  die  Zeit  und  Art  der  Zahlung." 

Diese  Haager  Konvention  iiber  die  ,,Dettes  contractuelles"  kann  im  vorliogenden  Falle 
nicht  in  Betracht  kommen,  dcnn  sic  ist  lediglich  auf  die  Einschriinkung  der  volkerrecht lichen 
Selbsthiifc,  also  auf  die  Beseitigung  eines  Kriegsfalles  gerichtet.  Die  Konvention  will  einzig 
und  allein  die  Schuldnerstaat  en  vor  Krieg  wegen  einer  privatrechtlichen  Streitigkeit  schlitzen. 
Sie  gewahrt  daher  dem  Privatgliiubiger  nicht  nur  keinerlei  Ilechte,  sondem  sie  nimmt  ihm 
sogar  die  Moglichkeit,  daI5  der  Heimatsstaat  seinetwegen  den  fremden  Staat  mit  Krieg  iiber- 
zieht.  Vor  allcm  aber  besteht  flir  den  Heimatsstaat  keine  Pflicht  zur  Intervention,  vielmehr  ist 
es  stets  in  das  Ermessen  des  Staates  gesetzt,  ob  er  inter^-enieren  will,  und  er  wird  in  der  Regel 
Griinde  finden,  aus  denen  er  ablehnt,  den  dii>lomatischen  Ajiparat  in  Bewegung  zu  setzen. 

Dem  Privatgliiubiger  steht  also  ein  dircktcs  Klagerecht  nicht  zu,  er  muB  sich  vielmehr  an 
den  eigenen  Staat  wenden,  der,  wenn  es  sich  nicht  um  ganz  exorbitante  Fiille  handelt,  in  denen 
nationalc  Paragon  berlihrt  werden,  wie  gesagt,  Griinde  finden  wird,  eine  diplomatische  Inter- 
vention abzulehncn. 

Hiernach  bleibt  nur  der  Weg  tibrig,  dafi  eine  neutrale  Schiedsgerichtsinstanz  geschaffen 
wird  durch  Staatenvertretungen,  die  das  Recht  hat,  uber  Fiille  zu  entscheiden,  die  von  Ange- 
horigen  eines  Vertrag-sstaates  gegen  einen  Vertragsstaat  erhoben  werden.  Die  Durchfiihrung 
dieser  Idee  wird  gewifi  keine  leichtc  sein,  denn  dor  SouvcriinitiitsbcgrifT  ist  bei  cinzclnen  Staalen 
so  stark  entwickelt,  dafi  sie  die  Bildung  eines  derartigen  Schiedsgerichts  als  Ein.schriinkung 
ihrer  Souvoriiniliit  ansehen  werden.  Allein  dieser  Gesichtspunkt  wiire  ein  unrichtiger,  denn 
wenn  ein  derartiges  Schiedsgericht  geschaffen  wird,  so  wird  es  lediglich  geschaffen  aus  dem 
freien  Willen  der  Staaten  und  nicht  durch  die  Unterwerfung  unter  erne  hohere  Gewalt.  Es  han- 
delt sich  auch  nicht  darum,  daC  ein  einzelner  Staat  sich  dieser  neutralen  Instanz  unterwirft, 
sondem  dafi  alle  Kulturstaaten  sich  derselben  unterwerfen.  Auch  soil  in  dieser  neutralen 
Instanz  nicht  eine  den  Staaten  iibergeordnete  Gerichtsbarkeit,  sondem  eine  Jurisdiktion 
kraft  gemeinsamen  Rechts  geschaffen  werden.  Und  so  viel  ist  feststchend,  daB  sich  Staaten 
in  den  sie  berlihrenden  Streitigkeiten  einem  Schiedsgericht  unterwerfen,  ohne  ihrer  Wlirde 
und  Souveriinitilt  etwas  zu  vergeben. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  157 

Der  Einwand  abcr,  daC,  wenn  eine  derartige  Institution  einRcfuhrt  werde,  dcr  auswilrtige 
Staat  es  vorziehen  wcrtle,  lieber  niit  soinon  eigencn  Angohurigen  Geschjifte  abzuschlioBen 
und  <laC  dadurch  die  weltwirtschaftlichen  Heziehungcn  der  einzelnen  Volker  Abhruch  erleiden 
wcrden,  kann  nicht  zutrefTen,  da  man  schon  heute,  wie  die  von  den  Altesten  der  Kaufnuinn- 
schaft  von  Berlin  veranstaltete  Enquete  ergeben  hat,  gerade  ileshalb,  weil  ein  Rechtsweg 
gegen  den  ausliindisehen  Staat  nicht  offensteht,  vielfach  niit  eineni  Angehorigen  des  betref- 
fenden  Staates  als  Strohinann  kontrahiert,  oder  aber,  dafi  man  zwar  mit  dem  Strohmann 
direkt  abschheCt,  sich  jeiloch  dann  die  AuBenstiintlc  durch  Privatleute  garantieren  liiCt. 
Wenn  aber  ein  Staat  diesem  Abkommen  nicht  beitreten  solite,  so  ware  er  lediglich  auf  seine 
eigenen  Staatsangehorigen  angewiesen  und  wiirde  dann  voraussichtlich  nicht  diejenigen 
Bediirfnisse  fiir  Kriegszwecke  beschaffen  konnen,  fiir  die  es  auf  die  Angehorigen  anderer 
Staaten  angewiesen  Lst. 

Die  Idee  der  Errichtung  eines  solchen  intcmationalen  Schiedsgerichts  hat,  seit  (iie  Al- 
testen tier  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin  sich  zur  Befiinvortung  dieser  Frage  entschlo.ssen  haben, 
weitgehende  Zustunmung  gefunden.  Der  Mitteleuropiii-sche  Wirtschaftsverein  und  der  Ilan- 
delsvertragsverein  haben  yich  dafiir  ausgcsprochen.  Der  AusschuB  des  Deutschen  Handels- 
tages  hat  in  seiner  diesjilhrigen  Kolner  Tagung  einstimmig  einen  gleichen  BeschluB  gefaCt. 
Der  Ilansabund  hat  die  Forderung  in  seine  Richtlinien  aufgenommen.  Die  Interjjarlamen- 
tarische  Union  wird  sich  dem  Vemehmen  nach  in  ihrer  Tagung  im  September  1912  in  Genf 
mit  iler  Frage  beschiiftigen.  Der  Verband  der  intcmationalen  Verstiindigung  wird  auf  seiner 
Heidelberger  Tagung  die  Errichtung  des  Schiedsgerichts  behandeln.  Die  ,, American  Associa- 
tion of  Commerce  and  Trade"  in  Berlin  hat  in  ihrem  Berichte  vom  15.  August  1911  die  Anre- 
5Ung  gegeben,  die  Vereinigten  Staaten  von  Amerika  mochten  diese  wichtige  Angelegenheit 
jetzt  ihrerseits  energLsch  in  die  Hand  nehnien.  Der  in  Boston  im  September  dieses  Jahres 
5tat t findende  Internationale  Handelskammer-Kongrefi  hat  die  Frage  auf  seine  Tagcsordnung 
?esetzt.  In  .\merika  hat  sich  auf  der  diesjilhrigen  amerikanischen  Schiedsgerichts-Konferenz, 
iie  von  etwa  vierhundert  Personen  besucht  war,  Professor  WTieeler  fiir  das  Schiedsgericht 
msgesprochen. 

In  gleicher  Weise,  wie  die  Vertreter  von  Handel  und  Industrie  die  Schaffung  eines  inter- 
lationalen  Schiedsgerichtshofes  wiinschen,  haben  sich  auch  die  Vertreter  der  Wissenschaft 
iir  eine  solche  Idee  ausgesprochen,  wie  Freund,  Meili,  Xippold,  Zom,  FLscher,  v.  Maritz- 
kVeliberg  und  Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.  Auch  hat  der  Marburger  Professor  Walther  Schiick- 
ng  jetzt  darauf  hingewiesen,  die  Schaffung  einer  Instanz  fiir  Privatrechtsanspniche  gegen 
■remde  Staaten  werde  zu  den  organisatorischen  Aufgaben  der  dritten  Haager  Konferenz 
jehoren. 

[  Hiemach  bitte  ich,  daC  der  Kongress  beschlieCen  moge,  daB  ein  Internationales  Schieds- 
gericht errichtet  werde,  welches  berufen  ist,  vermogensrechtliche  Streitigkeiten  zwischen 
luslandischcn  Staaten  und  Privatpersonen  zu  entscheideu. 

Translation) 
Gentlemen: 

The  idea  of  a  tribunal  of  arbitration  has  already  gained  a  victory  in  the  domain  of 
international  law.  The  First  Hague  Conference,  in  the  year  1899,  established  a  conven- 
tion in  respect  to  international  war  and  likewise  for  international  arbitration  and  a  perma- 
nent and  always  available  court  of  arbitration  for  causes  of  international  law  between 
individual  States  has  been  permanently  established  in  The  Hague.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
this  is  not  a  permanent  international  court,  but  rather  a  list  of  international  judges  of 
arbitration  of  which  each  nation  may  api)oint  up  to  four  judges  from  which  a  court  of 
arbitration  can  be  drawn  by  the  parties  to  the  di.si)ute  to  settle  .^ome  question  which 
may  arise.  As  is  well  known,  Carnegie  has  given  the  sum  of  one  million  and  a  half 
dollars  to  erect  a  palace  for  an  international  court  of  arbitration  and  this  will  shortly  be 

i       turned  over  for  tliis  purpose.    In  the  first  ten  years  since  the  First  Hague  Peace  Confer- 
ence six  disputes  of  great  importance  have  been  submitted  to  this  court. 


158  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

I  refer  here  to  the  dispute  between  Germany,  England  and  Italy  on  one  side  and 
Venezuela  on  the  other,  arising  out  of  demands  on  the  treasury  of  Venezuela  in  the  year 
1903;  the  dispute  between  Germany,  England  and  France  on  one  side  and  Japan  ou 
the  other  side  in  1902,  in  regard  to  the  failure  to  carry  out  agreements  relating  to  the 
taxation  of  Europeans  residing  in  Japan;  and  finally  the  celebrated  Casablanca  dispute 
between  Germany  and  France  in  1908. 

The  Second  Hague  Peace  Conference  in  the  year  1907  has  improved  and  complex  i<i 
the  work  of  the  first  conference.  WTiile  thus  great  progress  may  be  recorded  in  the  'ii>- 
main  of  the  international  law  of  nations  the  same  cannot  be  said  in  respect  of  interna- 
tional personal  legal  rights,  and  Zorn  properly  asks  in  his  recently  published  book,  "Das 
deutsche  Recht  und  die  intemationale  Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit ''  (German  Law  and  In- 
ternational Arbitration)  for  a  satisfactory  solution  of  the  question  of  intemationa 
arbitration. 

To  those  questions  which  must  be  taken  up  in  the  first  place  belongs  the  question  of 
creating  an  international  court  of  arbitration  for  suits  between  individuals  and  foreien 
States. 

An  investigation  made  by  "Die  Altesten  der  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin"  in  ita 
territory  has  shown  that  the  existing  lack  of  legal  protection  has  withheld  a  number 
of  firms  from  entering  on  business  relations  with  foreign  States.  The  defective  legal 
protection  is  often  utilized  by  debtor  States  to  advance  unfounded  claims,  to  make  un- 
fair deductions  from  the  purchase  price  and  to  extend  unreasonably  the  term  for 
pajTnent. 

It  was  contended  that  if  the  mistrust  which  now  exists  towards  foreign  States  were 
removed  by  means  of  an  international  court  of  arbitration,  many  firms  would  do  a 
great  deal  of  business  which  they  now  do  not  undertake.  The  mere  existence  of  surii  a 
court  would  contribute  towards  rendering  the  States  more  liberal  in  their  relationshipe 
to  private  persons  as  regards  the  property  laws  of  said  States,  and  that  they  would  pay 
more  promptly.  The  need  of  legal  regulation  becomes  more  imperative  as  the  States 
are  to  a  greater  extent  than  before  entering  upon  mechanical  and  commercial  under^ 
takings,  thus  coming  into  closer  contact  with  private  persons.  But  if  the  State  takes 
up  negotiations  on  a  private  basis  it  goes  against  our  feeling  of  justice  that  the  State 
should  be  treated  otherwise  than  any  other  private  person  would  be,  and  that  in  such  a 
case  no  direct  right  of  complaint  should  be  allowed  to  the  private  person  against  a  foreign 
State.  For,  in  reality,  the  pursuance  of  private  legal  claims  against  a  foreign  State  cxa 
only  be  done  with  the  greatest  difficulty.  If  one  points  out  to  the  creditor  that  he  can 
prosecute  the  foreign  State  in  its  own  courts  in  a  foreign  countrj*  one  must  take  into 
consideration  that  the  legal  arrangements  of  all  States  are  not  so  that  one  can  reckon  with 
surety  on  an  accurate  judgment  on  the  generalh*  ven.-  difiBcult  question  of  international 
private  rights.  Added  to  which  the  indebted  State  in  the  range  of  its  own  territory  is 
its  own  lawgiver  and  therefore  looks  for  its  rights  to  its  own  courts.  One  is  in  no  wise 
obliged  to  consider  a  conscious  j-ielding  to  the  law  or  refusal  of  justice,  in  order  to 
understand  the  aversion  existing  in  the  business  world  to  calling  on  the  courts  of  a  foriign 
State  against  that  ver>-  State. 

If  one  further  points  out  to  the  creditor  that  he  can  prosecute  the  foreign  State 
in  the  home  State,  the  reigning  opinion  in  theon>-  and  practice  goes  to  show  that  no 
State  can  try  another  one,  as  the  existing  national  law  does  not  allow  the  interior  legal 
power  to  extend  to  foreign  States.  For  example,  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Empire  has 
made  it  an  acknowledged  fundamental  clause  of  the  national  law,  that  a  foreign  State 
cannot  be  called  before  the  courts  of  the  interior  for  a  purely  private  reason.  It  is  there 
carried  out  and  is  firmly  established,  that  the  higher  courts  in  Germany,  Austria.  France, 
England  and  the  United  States  of  North  America  have  made  it  almost  a  settled  point 
that  the  foreign  States,  as  a  nile,  al.so  in  claims  of  a  private  nature,  cannot  come  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  courts  of  another  State. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  169 

Neither  can  one  refer  the  debtor  to  No.  2  of  the  i)iinii)hlet  on  "National  Law  of 
1910"  of  The  Hague  Convention  on  the  "Dettes  contractuelles"  of  the  ISth  of  Octolier, 
1907.  This  Hague  Convention  in  the  German  tran.sUition  i.s  called  "Rcfrulations  re- 
garding the  Limitation  of  the  Use  of  Force  in  collecting  Contract-Dchts"  and  is  given 
in  the  articles  referring  thereto  as  follows: 

"Art.  1.  The  contracting  powers  have  agreed  not  to  have  recourse  to  warfare  to  en- 
force the  pajTnent  of  contract-debts  which  the  government  of  one  country  exacts  from 
the  government  of  another  country  for  its  subjects." 

This  rule  is  not  carried  out  if  the  indebted  State  refuses  the  offer  of  a  settlement 
by  a  court  of  arbitration  or  if  it  leaves  the  offer  unanswered,  or  in  ca.se  of  an  acceptance, 
himlers  the  settlement  of  the  court  of  arbitration,  or  after  the  arbitration  contract  has 
been  drawn  up  does  not  carry  out  the  decision  therein  sjiccified. 

"Art.  2.  It  has  further  been  agreed  upon  that  the  decision  mentioned  in  paragraph 
2  of  the  above  article  should  be  subject  to  the  process  described  in  Chapter  3,  Title  4,  of 
The  Ha^^ue  Convention  for  a  i)eaceful  arrangement  of  international  dis])u1e.-.  I'ailing  a 
particular  agreement  of  the  parties,  the  arbitration  decides  on  the  reason  of  the  claim,  on 
the  extent  of  the  debt,  or  the  amount  of  the  debt  as  well  as  on  the  time  and  place  of 
payment." 

This  Hague  Convention  on  the  "Dettes  contractuelles"  cannot  be  taken  into  con- 
sitleration  in  the  case  on  hand,  for  it  is  princijjally  directed  to  the  limiting  of  national 
self-help,  therefore  to  the  removing  of  a  reason  for  war.  The  convention  wishes  only  to 
protect  the  indebted  States  from  war  on  account  of  private  legal  disputes.  It  therefore 
gives  the  private  creditor  not  only  no  rights  but  it  even  deprives  him  of  the  possibility 
that  his  home  State  might  declare  war  against  the  foreign  State  on  his  account.  But 
above  all  no  obligation  e.\i.sts  for  the  home  State  to  interfere;  on  the  contrary  it  is  left  to 
the  judgment  of  the  State,  if  it  wishes  to  intervene,  and  it  generally  finds  reasons  to  re- 
fuse to  put  the  diplomatic  apparatus  into  motion. 

The  private  creditor  therefore  has  no  right  to  a  direct  complaint.  On  the  con- 
trar}',  he  must  have  recourse  to  his  own  State,  which,  unless  it  is  a  quite  extraordinary 
case,  in  which  national  questions  come  into  play,  will  find  reasons  for  refusing  a  diplo- 
matic inter\'ention. 

Accordingly,  there  is  onh'  one  way  left,  that  of  creating  a  neutral  court  of  arbitra- 
tion by  State  representation,  which  would  have  the  right  of  deciding  in  cases  which  are 
brought  by  subjects  of  a  contract  State  against  another  contract  State.  The  realization 
of  this  idea  will  certainly  not  be  easy,  for  the  feeling  of  sovereignty  is  .so  strongly  de- 
veloped in  single  States  that  each  would  look  on  the  formation  of  such  an  arbitrary 
court  as  an  encroachment  on  its  sovereignty.  Nevertheless,  this  view  would  be  incorrect, 
for  if  such  a  court  of  arbitration  were  created  it  would  be  so  essentially  by  the  free  will 
of  the  States  and  not  through  coercion  by  a  higher  power.  The  question  al.so  is  not  that 
of  a  single  State  giving  way  to  this  neutral  court,  but  that  all  civilized  States  should 
subject  themselves  to  it.  Also  in  this  neutral  court  there  .should  not  be  called  into  exis- 
tence a  legal  body  having  power  over  the  States,  but  a  jurisdiction  founded  on  mutua 
rights.  One  thing  is  certain,  that  States  which  .subject  themselves  to  a  court  of  arbi- 
tration in  disputes  affecting  themselves  can  do  so  without  losing  any  of  their  dignity 
or  sovereignty. 

The  objection,  however,  that  if  such  an  institvition  were  established  the  foreign 
States  would  prefer  rather  to  do  bu.sincss  with  its  own  subjects  and  that  therefore  the  uni- 
versal business  relation.>hip  of  the  individual  nations  would  be  injured,  cannot  stand,  a.s 
one  already  to-day  often  contracts  in  the  person  of  a  dummj*  with  the  subject  of  the 
State  in  question,  there  being  no  legal  way  open  to  act  against  the  foreign  State,  all  of 
which  was  shown  by  the  investigation  effected  by  "Die  Altesten  der  Kaufmannschaft 
von  Berlin";  or  it  may  happen  that  one  can  come  to  a  direct  termination  with  the 


I 


160  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

dummy,  but  has  the  guaranty  for  the  outside  affairs  furnished  by  private  parties.  Should 
the  State,  however,  not  join  in  this  agreement,  it  would  be  essentially  dependent  on  its 
own  State  subjects  and  would  probably  not  then  be  able  to  furnish  those  necessary 
materials  for  purposes  of  war,  for  which  it  is  dependent  on  the  subjects  of  other  States. 

The  idea  of  forming  an  international  court  of  arbitration  of  this  kind,  has  found 
widespread  favor,  since  "Die  Altesten  der  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin"  decided  to  further 
this  question.  "Der  MitteleuropiiLsche  Wirtschaftsverein"  and  the  "Handelsvertrags- 
verein"  have  expressed  themselves  in  favor  of  it.  The  delegates  of  "Der  Deutsche 
Handelstag"  adopted  a  unanimous  resolution  of  similar  tenor  at  its  session  of  this  year  at 
Cologne.  The  "Hansabund"  has  also  voiced  the  demand.  The  Interparliamentary' 
Union  will  occupy  itself  with  the  question  at  its  session  in  September,  1912,  at  Geneva. 
The  League  for  International  Understanding  will  take  up  the  question  of  creating  a  court 
of  arbitration  at  its  meeting  in  Heidelberg.  The  American  Association  of  Commerce 
and  Trade  in  Berlin  in  its  report  of  August  15,  1911,  has  introduced  the  question  of 
having  the  United  States  of  America  on  its  part  take  up  this  important  m.atter  energet- 
ically. The  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  which  will  take  place  in 
Boston  in  September  has  placed  the  question  on  its  order  of  the  day.  In  America  at 
the  conference  on  arbitration  held  this  year,  which  was  attended  by  about  four  hun- 
dred persons,  Professor  Wheeler  spoke  in  favor  of  the  court  of  arbitration. 

In  the  same  manner,  as  the  representatives  of  commerce  and  industry  desire  the 
creation  of  an  international  court  of  arbitration,  the  representatives  of  science  have 
expressed  their  approval  of  this  principle,  as  Freund,  Meili,  Nippold,  Zom,  Fischer,  v. 
Maritz-Wehberg  and  Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.  Professor  Walther  Schiicking,  of  Mar- 
burg, has  drawn  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  formation  of  a  court  for  private  suits 
against  foregin  States  belongs  to  the  organizing  tasks  of  the  Third  Hague  Conference. 

I  therefore  request  that  the  Congress  should  decide  that  an  international  court  of 
arbitration  should  be  established  for  the  purpose  of  deciding  disputes  afifecting  property 
between  foreign  States  and  private  individuals. 

{Continuing  in  English) 

Gentlemen,  I  have  explained  all  the  arguments  in  favor  of  the  establishment  of  the 
international  arbitration  court.  WTien  that  court  is  in  operation,  it  will  be  a  good  foundation 
for  the  development  of  export  trade  and  industrj-.  But  the  chambers  of  commerce  are  not 
able  to  put  it  into  existence.  So  much  the  more  is  it  necessarj-  that  the  States  take  tl^e  initia- 
tive. And  therefore  I  beg  you,  that  in  your  States  you  may  influence  your  governments. 
And  I  hope  that  the  American  Government  will  be  the  first  of  the  States  to  invite  the  other 
States  to  form  that  international  court.  The  realization  of  that  idea  would  not  only  mean  im- 
mense progress  in  the  development  of  commerce  and  industry,  but  would  also  fill  a  great  void 
in  the  path  of  justice  and  civilization. 

(Continuing  in  French) 

Messieurs,  je  crois  que  les  explications" que  j'ai  eu  I'honneur  de  vous  prfeenter,  ont  iarge- 
ment  suffi  h  d6montrer  que  I'institution  d'un  tribunal  international  d'arbitrage,  k  La  Haye, 
ne  peut  que  contribuer  au  doveloppement  du  commerce  et  de  I'industrie  d'e.vportation. 

Mais  ce  tribunal  international  ne  peut  etre  cre«5  que  si  les  Etats  prennent,  vis-i-vis  les 
uns  des  autres,  I'engagement,  scelle  par  une  convention  reciproque,  de  le  constituer.  II 
faut  que  les  chambres  de  commerce  de  chaque  Etat  prtJsentent  h.  leur  gouvemement  respectif 
le  vceu  pressant  que  soit  convoqu6e  une  conference  des  Etats,  pour  le  reglement  de  cette 
question  si  importante  pour  le  commerce  mondial. 

A  vous,  messieurs,  j'adressc  I'instante  pri^re  de  lutter  de  toutes  vos  forces,  dans  vos 
Etats  respectifs,  pour  la  realisation  de  cette  id6e. 

En  consequence,  je  vous  prie,  messieurs,  de  vouloir  bien  6mettre  le  vocu  que  soit  constitud 
un  tribunal  international  pour  les  diffdrends  entre  les  particuliers  et  les  Etats  Strangers,  qui 


I 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  161 


represcnterait  un  immense  progr^s,  non  seulement  dans  le  ddveloppcment  du  commerce  et 
de  I'industrie,  mais  aussi  rcmplirait  une  grande  lucunc  dans  la  recherche  de  la  justice  et  de 
la  civilisation.    (Applauduisenicnl^.) 

(Translation) 

Gentlemen,  I  believe  that  the  arguments  which  I  have  just  had  the  honor  of  present- 
ing to  you  have  sufficed  to  demonstrate  that  the  establishment  of  an  international  court 
of  arbitration  at  The  Hague  cannot  fail  to  contribute  to  the  development  of  com- 
merce and  export  business. 

But  this  international  court  cannot  be  created  unless  the  governments  will  mutually 
agree,  and  be  bound  by  a  reciprocal  convention  to  establish  it.  The  chambers  of  com- 
merce in  each  country  should  present  to  their  respective  governments  the  urgent  wi.sh 
for  the  convocation  of  a  conference  of  the  nations  for  the  settlement  of  this  question 
which  is  so  important  to  the  commerce  of  tlie  world. 

To  you,  gentlemen,  I  address  the  sincere  desire  that  you  use  all  your  efforts,  in  your 
respective  countries,  for  the  realization  of  this  idea. 

Accordingly,  gentlemen,  I  beg  you  to  express  a  wish  for  the  establishment  of  an 
international  court  for  suits  between  individuals  and  foreign  States,  which  would  not  only 
mean  a  tremendous  advance  in  the  development  of  commerce  and  industrj-  but  would  also 
fill  a  great  void  which  now  exists  in  the  path  of  justice  and  civilization.     (Applause.) 


Mr.  R.  S.  Fraser,  Member  of  Council  of  London  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen: 

In  seconding  the  resolution  moved  by  Dr.  Apt  favoring  the  establishment  of  an  Inter- 
national Court  of  Arbitration  for  the  adjustment  of  differences  between  individuals  ami 
States,  I  would  wish  to  take  the  opportunity  of  felicitating  Dr.  Apt  on  the  excellent,  exhaustive, 
and  may  I  say  illuminating  paper  which  he  has  written  on  the  subject  and  which  I  fancj-  will 
take  a  very  high  place  in  the  literature  of  arbitral  justice  when  that  literature  becomes  history. 
(Applause.) 

It  is  a  very  great  pleasure  to  one  who  has  taken  a  considerable  part  in  the  establishment 
of  international  standardized  courts  of  arbitration,  commercial  arbitration,  to  speak  on  this 
subject  and  to  support  Dr.  Apt.  In  the  past  it  may  be  said  that  arbitration  has  not  made 
great  advance.  Mr.  President,  the  astonishing  thing  is  that  in  the  absence  of  any  fixed  prac- 
tice or  settled  procedure,  arbitration  has  advanced  at  all;  and  it  is  only  consequent  on  the  gootl 
sense  of  good  men  that  arbitration  is  now  in  the  forefront  of  practical  politics.     (Applause.) 

Since  this  Congress  met  in  London  great  strides  have  been  made  in  the  direction  of  plac- 
ing commercial  arbitration  on  a  direct  working  basis. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be  a  member  of  the  International  Law  Association  which  met  in  Lon- 
don two  years  since  and  in  Paris  this  last  Whitsuntide  and  on  both  occasions  this  important 
subject  was  dealt  with  and  pres.sed  forward.  Then  again  consequent  upon  the  agitation  for 
this  movement  in  the  Briti.sh  Board  of  Trade,  a  very  active  inquiry  is  proceeding  with  a  view 
to  concerted  steps  for  establishing  standardized  courts  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  the  awards 
of  which  will  be  enforceable  wherever  compliance  therewith  is  required. 

Sir,  it  is  not  only  in  Great  Britain  that  this  great  movement  is  taking  root.  Our  good 
friends  in  Germany,  in  one  of  the  most  carefully  prepared  treatises  that  ha-s  ever  been  written, 
pronounced  by  the  Economical  Council  of  Berlin,  have  submitted  to  the  London  Chamber 
of  Commerce  a  proposal  for  establishing  a  commercial  court  of  arbitration  for  dealing  with 
differences  between  British  merchants  and  German  merchants.     (Applause.) 

Sir,  when  once  we  establi.sh  a  court  of  arbitration  commanding  and  deserving  public  con- 
fidence, whose  judgments  will  command  the  rcsj)ect  of  all,  we  shall  indeed  have  established  the 
bridge  over  which  other  movements  will  subsequently  follow.  Not  onlj*  will  the  great  claim 
which  my  friend  advances  be  conceded  of  being  able  to  establish  a  claim  against  the  State, 


162  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

but  that  still  greater  question  of  international  peace  will  be  most  materially  advanced.  {Ap- 
plaiLse.)  And  for  this  reason:  if  you  educate  men  in  the  study  and  practice  of  arbitration  in 
their  own  alTairs,  they  will  hesitate  a  long  time  before  acting  otherwise  in  community  proceed- 
ings at  the  terrible  cost  to  life  and  property. 

I  do  not  wish  to  intrench  on  the  question  of  imperial  arbitration.  I  leave  that  to  others. 
I  confine  myself  to  the  de.'^ire  for  establi.shing  a  strong  court  of  commercial  arbitration  to  which 
you  and  I  and  everj'  one  having  a  difference  can  have  recourse. 

Let  me  say  one  thing  in  conclusion:  commerce  is  the  subject  of  no  State  and  it  is  the  sov- 
ereign of  all.    And  I  feel  that  justice  is  a  matter  of  right  and  not  merely  of  privilege. 

In  the  past  it  has  been  a  matter  for  rulers  to  decree  whether  they  would  open  their  courts 
during  three  of  the  most  important  months  of  the  year.  In  arbitration  I  hope  we  will  have 
forever  put  a  stop  to  that  abuse. 

Well,  sir,  it  may  be  some  years  before  you  will  secure  the  court  of  arbitration  which  Dr. 
Apt  and  myself  have  advocated.  In  the  meanwhile  you  have  large  power  in  your  own  hands, 
power  not  only  to  secure  the  unification  of  law  but  also  to  provide  the  means  for  speedily 
adjusting  your  difficulties.  I  refer  to  the  need  for  revising  the  commercial  contracts  which  you 
are  in  the  habit  of  entering  into.  Manj-  of  you  have  used  obsolete  forms  only  to  be  thrown 
into  the  waste  basket.  May  I  suggest  to  you  that  when  you  return  to  j'our  home  you  should 
carefully  look  at  the  provisions  of  these  forms  of  contract  and  if,  as  I  surmise,  you  see  occasion 
to  modify  them  you  will  at  least  do  so  to  your  own  advantage. 

I  have  very  great  pleasure  in  seconding  the  resolution.    (Applause.) 

Dr.  Louis  Varjassy,  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industry  of  Arad,  Hungary 

Messieurs: 

II  y  a  deux  sortes  de  questions  dont  nos  congr^s  doivent  s'occuper.  L'une  est  consacr^e 
aux  exigences  du  moment  et  aboutit  k  des  propo.sitions  qui  peuvent  se  rdali-ser  imm(?diate- 
ment.  L'autre  est  non  moins  pratique,  mais  se  heurte  pour  le  moment  i\  des  objections,  des 
pr(5jug6s,  des  jalousies  nationales,  et  il  faut  de  grands  efforts  pour  arriver,  malgrt?  ces  difficult^s 
presque  insurmontables.  Je  suis  forc6  de  constater  avec  un  profond  regret  que  la  tres  impor- 
tante  question  qui  nous  occupe  en  ce  moment,  de  remplacer  les  possibilities  de  I'arbitraire  par 
les  principcs  de  la  justice,  de  Timpartialito  et  du  droit,  n'est  pas  encore  r6alisable. 

La  question  d'un  tribunal  arbitral  international  pour  litiges  entre  particuhers  et  fitats 
Strangers  a  ddji  6t6  discut6e  k  plusieurs  reprises,  et  elle  a  cu  pour  elle  et  contre  elle  de  grands 
partisans.  C'est  surtout  en  AUemagne  qu'elle  a  6X6  6tudi6e  d'une  fa^on  tres  approfondie  et 
rassembl(5e  gen(!''rale  du  "Mitteleuropaischen  Wirtschaftsvereiu  in  Deutschland,"  qui  a  eu  lieu 
le  14  octobre  1911  si  Munich,  a  pass(5  en  revue  tous  les  arguments  et  toutes  les  objections  pos- 
sibles. Malgrd  les  sympathies  incontestables  qu'elle  a  soulev6es  chez  ses  membres,  elle  ne 
pouvait  aboutir  k  un  r(5sultat  pratique.  A  mentionner  encore  le  cas  tres  impressionnant  de 
rinstitut  du  Droit  International  qui,  dans  son  congrds  tenu  k  Hambourg  en  1891,  s'est  oc- 
cupd  de  ce  sujet  et  a  rejet6  I'idee  de  la  cr<5ation  d'un  tribunal  arbitral  international,  6tant  d'avis 
que  ces  sortes  de  litiges  doivent  etre  jugcs  par  les  tribunaux  rcgulicrs. 

fitant  done  donn6e  cette  grande  divergence  des  opinions  compctentes  d'unc  part  et  I'in- 
doniable  int<!'r6t  du  commerce  et  de  I'industrie  d'autre  part,  il  n'est  pa.s  facile  de  trouver  une 
.solution  tout  j\  fait  satisfaisante.  Avant  d'arriver  tl  une  conclusion,  je  me  permettrai  d'exa- 
miner  succinctement  quelques  objections  et  quelques  dc^tails  importants. 

La  premiere  objection  qu'on  souleve  imperturbablement  est  celle  de  la  restriction  de  la 
souverainet6  des  fitats.  C'est  I'objection  la  plus  habile,  il  vme  I'poque  oil  I'augmentation  des 
rapports  intemationaux  nous  devrait  obhger  de  restreindre  les  a.<5pirations  particuli^res  en 
faveur  de  toute  rhumanit<!>;  et  sans  cela,  il  ne  s'agit  pas  dans  le  cas  pr6sent  d'une  restriction 
d(!>shonorante,  imposcl-e  par  des  fitats  6trangers,  mais  tout  simplement  d'une  restriction  volon- 
taire. 

En  ce  qui  conceme  la  seconde  objection,  celle  qui  vise  la  convention  des  trente-quatre 


CHAiMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  163 

Ctats  sur  les  dettes  contractuelles  ct  d'apr^s  laqucllo  toute  convention  nouvcUe  en  faveur  des 
creanciers  ctrangers  serait  superfine,  puisqu'en  cas  de  besoin  ils  peuvent  se  servir  d'un  tribunal 
international,  je  suis  complt^tement  d'accord  avec  Monsieur  le  rapporteur.  II  manque  d'abord 
&  ct'tte  convention  le  caract^re  d'obligation,  en  outre  elle  ne  donne  pas  aux  cr(5anciers  le  droit 
^  Taction  directe  ne  pouvant  agir  que  par  rinterm(5diaire  de  leurs  gouvemcments.  II  n'en 
est  pas  moins  vrai  que  la  susdite  convention  a  6t6  un  grand  progress  dans  ce  domaine,  et  pour 
le  completer,  il  ne  faut  qu'eriger  le  tribunal  arbitral  international  dont  nous  nous  occupons 
en  ce  moment. 

La  troisieme  objection  qui  6tii\t  celle  de  I'lnstitut  de  Droit  International  consiste  dans  ce 
qu'on  n'a  pas  besoin  de  recourir  dans  les  cas  mcntionnfis  £l  un  tribunal  special,  puisquc  lea 
tribunaux  nationaux  sont  en  6tat  d'offrir  les  m6mes  garanties.  L'ind<5pendance  des  juges 
envtrs  les  gouvemements  est  tellement  assur^e  li  notre  6poque  dans  tous  les  pays  civilis<5s  et 
leur  impart ialite,  leurs  hautes  id6es  sur  le  droit  et  la  justice  sont  estimds  k  un  degr^,  que  les 
cn'anciers  otrangers  n'ont  aucune  raison  de  les  mettre  en  doute.  En  outre,  la  cremation  d'une 
cour  arbitrate  interaationale  serait  I'expression  tacite  d'une  mdfiance  regrettable  envers  les 
tribunaux  nationaux.  Ces  objections  ne  sont  pas  tres  concluantes.  En  reconnaissant  eans 
n^-rrve  la  haute  valeur  morale  des  jugements  nationaux,  il  n'en  est  pas  moins  vrai  qu'il  existe 
les  jugements  differents,  meme  opposes,  rendus  dans  des  cas  analogues  suivant  les  in- 

-  des  pays  en  question.  Et  Ton  n'a  pas  Ic  droit  de  reprocher  aux  crdanciers  d'trangers 
d'avoir  plus  de  confiance  dans  des  juges  qui  ne  sont  pas  influences  par  des  prdjug^s,  des  sen- 
timents patriotiques  et  un  milieu  trop  tentant. 

Et  maintenant,  j'arrive  au  point  saillant.  C'est  I'objection  que  les  sentences  d'un  tri- 
bunal arbitral  international  n'ont  pas  de  sanction,  elles  ne  sont  pas  executoires  et,  par  conse- 
quent, elles  n'auraient  aucune  valeur  pratique  pour  des  commer^ants  et  des  industriels.  Dans 
le  rai>port  des  '•.Utesten  der  Kaufmann.schaft  von  Berlin,"  cette  difficulte  est  eiimin^e  par 
I'e.-jpoir  que  les  Ctats  se  soumettront  volontairement  aux  sentences  du  tribunal  international. 
C'est  bien  possible  et  tout  ;\  fait  siir,  en  ce  qui  conceme  les  pays  moins  puissants,  mais  la  possi- 
bilite  d'une  resistance  fatale  n'est  pas  et,  h^las!  ne  peut  pas  etre  exclue.  Je  n'ai  pas  I'intention 
de  dissimuler  ce  cote  faible  du  tribunal  k  cr6er  malgr6  toutes  mes  sympathies  pour  lui.  Mais 
les  jugements  des  tribunaux  nationaux  peuvent-ils  offrir  plus  de  garantie?  Si  c'est  le  tribunal 
du  i^ropre  pays,  Ton  se  trouve  en  face  des  memes  difficult^s  en  ce  qui  conceme  rex6cution;  et 
si  c'est  le  tribunal  du  pays  debiteur,  c'est  I'impartialite  qui  est  en  peril. 

Pour  terminer  mon  discours,  jc  ne  veux  que  mettre  en  relief  les  int6r6ts  des  pays  debiteurs. 
Je  le  peux  avec  autant  plus  de  droit  parce  que  j'appartiens  moi-meme  k  un  pays  d6biteur,  mais 
k  un  pays  debiteur  honnfite  qui  veut  agir  conform^ment  k  ses  devoirs  et  qui  n'a  aucune  ob- 
jection contre  I'idee  d'un  tribunal  impartial,  malgre  qu'il  a  dej;\  perdu  une  partie  de  son 
territoire  dans  les  Carpathes,  en  consequence  d'un  jugement  arbitral  international.  Nous 
comprenons  trds  bien  que  la  creation  d'un  tribunal  neutre  peut  avoir  de  f&cheuses  consequences 
pour  certaines  a.«!pirations  iliegitimes,  mais  nous  comprenons  au.ssi  bien  que  les  pays  debiteurs 
peuvent  en  tirer  des  avantages  considerables  en  obtenant  des  conditions  moins  onereuses. 

Messieurs,  si  j'ai  commence  mes  paroles  par  des  allusions  pessimist es  malgnS  mes  con- 
clusions, c'etait  parce  que  je  sais  qu'un  tel  progrt^s  vers  la  justice  et  vers  la  victoire  du  droit 
aura  :\  lutter  contre  tous  les  prejuges  et  toutes  les  jalousies  d'un  faux  patriotisme.  Et  je  savais 
en  outre  que  ce  n'est  pas  seulcment  I'idee  d'un  tribunal  international  qu'il  faut  rendre  sympa- 
thique  aux  differents  pays;  il  peut  y  avoir  de  serieu.ses  divergences  quant  aux  details  de  la 
question.  Notre  CongrO's  en  tant  que  representant  du  commerce  et  de  I'industrie  et  comrae 
avant-garde  des  progr^s  intemationaux,  n'a  qu'il  appuj-er  tr^s  chaleureu.sement  la  prop>osition 
du  rapport  auquel  je  m'attache  au  nom  de  toutes  les  chambres  de  commerce  hongroises. 

{Translntio7i) 
Gentlemen: 

There  are  two  questions  with  which  our  congresses  must  bu.*^  themselves.    One  is 
devoted  to  the  actual  exigencies  and  may  be  reduced  to  propositions  which  could  be  imme- 


164  INTERXATIOXAL    CONGRESS    OF 

diatcly  realized.  The  other  Ls  not  less  practical,  but  finds  at  present  some  objections, 
prejudices  and  national  jealousies;  and  great  efforts  are  needed  to  succeed  against  these 
almost  unsurmountable  difficulties.  I  am  compelled  to  acknowledge  with  profound  regret 
that  the  very  important  question  before  us  at  present,  namely,  to  replace  the  possibilitiea 
of  the  arbitrary-  by  principles  of  justice,  impartiality  and  right,  Ls  not  yet  realizable. 

The  question  of  an  international  tribunal  for  arbitration  of  suits  between  citizens 
and  foreign  States  has  already  been  discussed  many  times  before  and  has  had  great  pap» 
tisans  for  and  against .  In  Gennany  especially  it  has  been  studied  in  a  ver>'  thorou^ 
way  and  the  general  council  of  "Der  Mitteleuropaische  Wirtschaftsverein  in  Deutsch- 
land,"  which  took  place  October  14,  1911,  at  Munich,  has  considered  all  the  arguments 
and  all  the  objections.  Notwithstanding  the  unquestionable  sjinpathies  of  its  members, 
it  could  not  reach  a  practical  result.  I  would  mention  also  the  very  impressive  caas 
of  the  International  Institute  of  Law,  which  in  the  congress  held  at  Hamburg  in  1891 
considered  the  subject  and  rejected  the  idea  of  the  creation  of  an  International  tribunal 
of  arbitration,  believing  that  this  sort  of  suits  should  be  looked  after  by  the  regular  courts 
of  justice. 

In  the  presence  then  of  this  great  divergence  of  competent  opinionfl  on  the  one  hand 
and  the  undeniable  interests  of  commerce  and  industn,'  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  easy 
to  find  a  solution  entirely  satisfactory'.  Before  arriving  at  a  conclusion  I  will  take  the 
liberty  to  examine  briefly  some  of  the  objections  and  important  details. 

The  first  objection  brought  forth  is  that  of  the  restriction  of  the  sovereignty  of  the 
State.  That  is  the  cleverest  objection,  just  when  the  increase  of  international  relations 
should  oblige  us  to  restrict  private  aspirations  in  favor  of  the  whole  of  mankind;  and 
without  this  it  is  not  a  question  in  the  present  case  of  a  dishonoring  restriction,  imposed 
by  foreign  States,  but  simply  a  voluntary'  restriction. 

As  regards  the  second  objection,  that  which  refers  to  the  convention  of  the  thirty- 
four  States  on  contract  debts  and  according  to  which  any  new  convention  in  favor  of 
foreign  creditors  would  be  superfluous,  since  when  necessity  arises  they  can  use  an  in- 
ternational tribunal,  I  am  entirely  in  accord  with  the  Reporter.  This  convention,  at  the 
outset,  lacks  the  character  of  obligation,  and  does  not  give  the  creditors  the  right  to  an 
immediate  suit,  since  they  can  only  act  through  the  intervention  of  their  governments. 
It  is  none  the  less  true  that  the  above-mentioned  convention  has  indicated  great  iirog- 
ress  in  this  domain,  and  in  order  to  complete  it,  it  is  only  necessarj'  to  establish  the  ' 
international  tribunal  of  arbitration  with  which  we  are  occupying  ourselves  at  present.    ' 

The  third  objection,  which  was  that  of  the  International  Institute  of  Law,  consists  in  i 
the  fact  that  no  need  exists  for  having  recourse  in  the  cases  mentioned  to  a  special  tri- 
bunal, since  the  national  tribunals  are  in  a  position  to  offer  the  same  guaranty;  that  the. 
independence  of  the  judges  towards  the  governments  is  so  well  assured  in  our  time  in 
all  civilized  countries,  and  their  impartiality,  their  high  ideals  of  right  and  justice,  arei 
held  in  such  esteem,  that  foreign  creditors  have  no  reason  whatever  to  doubt  them;  that: 
the  creation  of  an  international  court  of  arbitration  would  be  the  silent  expression  of  a 
regrettable  mistrust  of  the  national  courts.  These  objections  are  not  verj'  conclusive.1 
While  recognizing  fully  the  high  moral  value  or  worth  of  the  national  verdicts,  it  is  none 
the  less  true  that  there  exist  already  verdicts  that  differ,  that  are  even  contrary-,  ren- 
dered in  similar  cases  according  to  the  interest  of  the  countries  that  are  involved;  and, 
no  one  has  the  right  to  reproach  foreign  creditors  for  having  more  confidence  in  judges', 
who  are  not  influenced  bj'  prejudices,  patriotic  sentiments  anil  an  environment  too  full 
of  temptation. 

And  now,  I  come  to  the  main  point,  the  objection  that  the  decrees  of  an  inter- 
national court  of  arbitration  are  without  sanction,  that  they  are  not  executory,  and  con- 
sequently have  no  jjractical  value  for  men  in  commerce  and  industry'.  In  the  report 
of  "Die  Altesten  der  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin,"  this  difficulty  is  eliminated  by  the 
hope  that  the  governments  will  submit  willingly  to  the  sentences  of  an  international 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  165 

tribunal.  It  is  quite  possible  and  perfectly  sure,  as  far  as  it  concerns  less  powerful 
countries,  but  the  possibility  of  a  fatal  resistance  is  not  and  cannot,  alas!  be  i)re- 
cluded.  I  have  no  intention  to  conceal  this  weak  side  of  a  tribunal  to  be  created,  in 
spite  of  all  my  sympathy.  But  are  the  verdicts  of  national  courts  able  to  offer  better 
guaranty?  If  it  is  the  tribunal  of  one's  own  countrj',  the  same  difficulties  are  ex- 
I)ericnced  in  regard  to  execution;  and  if  it  is  the  tribunal  of  the  debtor's  country,  impar- 
tiality is  in  peril. 

In  closing  I  only  wish  to  put  in  a  conspicuous  light  the  interest  of  the  debtor  coun- 
tries. I  can  do  so  with  so  much  more  right  seeing  that  I  myself  belong  to  such  a  coun- 
try, but  an  honest  debtor  country,  which  wishes  to  act  conformably  to  its  duties  and  has 
no  objection  to  the  idea  of  any  impartial  tribunal,  notwithstanding  that  it  has  lost  a 
part  of  its  territorj'  in  the  Carpathians  as  a  result  of  an  international  verdict  of  arbi- 
tration. We  understand  verj'  well  that  the  creation  of  a  neutral  tribunal  maj-  have  bad 
consequences  for  certain  illegitimate  aspirations,  but  we  understand  as  well  that  the 
debtor  countries  can  gain  considerable  advantages  by  obtaining  less  onerous  conditions. 

Gentlemen,  if  I  have  begun  my  speech  by  pessimistic  utterances  in  spite  of  my  con- 
clusions, it  is  because  I  know  that  in  such  progress  towards  justice  and  towards  the 
victory  of  right  we  shall  have  to  struggle  against  all  the  prejudices  and  all  the  jealousies 
of  a  false  patriotism.  And  I  know  besides  that  we  must  first  have  the  different  countries 
sj-nipathetic  to  the  idea  of  an  international  court;  that  the  serious  divergences  arising 
in  connection  with  the  details  of  the  subject  must  be  worked  out  afterwards.  Our  Con- 
gress, in  so  far  as  it  represents  commerce  and  industry  and  is  the  vanguard  of  all  interna- 
tional progress,  must  warmly  second  the  proposition  reported,  which  I  support  in  the 
name  of  all  the  Hungarian  Chambers  of  Commerce. 


M.  Eugene  Allard,  President  of  the  Belgian  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris 

Messieurs : 

La  creation  d'un  tribunal  arbitral  international  pour  Ics  litiges  entre  particuliers  et  Etats 
Strangers  pr6occupe  b.  juste  titre,  depuis  plusieurs  ann6es,  la  plupart  des  £tats  civilis<5s.  C'est 
depuis  notre  dernier  congrds  de  Londres  que  la  question  a  etc  posee  d'une  maniere  prdcise  par 
I'honorable  M.  La  Lanne,  le  ddldgud  des  Ctats-Unis  d'Amdrique. 

11  nous  a  6mis  des  considerations  tellement  dvidentes  que  d^s  ce  moment,  notre  opinion 
6tait  faite.  Le  commerce  mondial  r6clamait  I'l^tablissement  d'un  tribunal  international  d'ar- 
bitrage. 

M.  le  rapporteur  nous  a  6mis  de  nouvelles  consid<5rations  qui  nous  ont  satisfaits  en  tous 
points;  seulement,  je  trouvc  que  devant  runanimit«5  de  nos  opinions,  Tunanimite  de  nos  sen- 
timents, le  rapporteur  propose  un  ordre  du  jour  qui  me  semble  prolonger  beaucoup  trop 
longtemps  la  solution  du  probldme  que  le  commerce  r6clame  avec  tant  d'impatience.  II  vou3 
dit :  Renvoyons  i  nos  chambres  de  commerce  la  question  pour  proposer  h  nos  gouvemements 
respectifs  le  d(?sir  du  commerce  de  chaque  nation  de  voir  s'(5tablir  un  tribunal  arbitral. 

Sous  ce  rapport,  je  crois  que  la  Chambre  de  commerce  de  Paris,  par  I'organe  de  son  d6- 
Vou<^  president,  M.  Charles  Legrand,  membre  du  comit6  permanent,  k  Cnn'is  le  voeu  qui  dcvra 
rallior  tous  nos  suffrages,  et  qui  pourra  faire  avancer  la  solution  du  probldme  avec  une  rapidit6 
incspcr<^e. 

J'ai  le  bonheur  de  pouvoir  vous  expo.ser  le  vccu  de  la  Chambre  de  commerce  de  Paris, 
au  nom  de  M.  Charles  Legrand,  que  son  <5tat  de  sant<5  a  malheureusement  emp6ch6  d'fitre 
parmi  nous.  Le  vceu  de  la  Chambre  de  commerce  de  Paris  est  formul6  d'une  manii^re  tr^ 
priVise.  II  expose:  "Qu'une  section  6conomique  Internationale  soit  adjointe  ii  la  cour  de  La 
Have,  et  chargC^e  spdcialcment  d'arbitrer  souveraincment,  en  6quit6,  tous  les  diff trends  inter- 
nal ionaux  d'ordre  commercial  et  industriel,  soit  des  fitats  entre  eux,  soit  des  industriels  avec 
les  Etats  6trangers. 


166  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

"Que  les  membres  de  ce  tribunal  arbitral  international  soient  choisis  parmi  les  membres 
des  chambres  dc  commerce  et  des  associations  conimerciales  et  industrielles." 

Permettez-moi  de  lire  la  partie  du  rapport  de  M.  Charles  Legrand  qui  justifie  la  cn^a- 
tion  de  cette  section  comnierciale  intemationale,  devant  laquelle  seraient  port6s  les  differenda 
d'ordre  6conomique  et  non  juridique,  qui  nous  apparaltrait  commc  justifi6e  par  la  diversite  dea 
legislations  commcrciales,  par  Timportance  de  plus  en  plus  mondiale  des  choses  de  I'industrie 
et  du  commerce  et  leur  developpement  sur  tous  les  points  du  globe,  par  ce  mouvement  con- 
siderable du  cr(5dit  qui  existe  entre  tous  les  fitat^,  qui  rend  de  plus  en  plus  ndcessaire  la  de- 
fense des  int^rets  des  particuliers  souscripteurs  d'emprunts  Strangers,  et  enfin,  par  cette 
tendance  de  plus  en  plus  accentu(5e  d'un  grand  nombrc  d'Ctats  h  creer,  diriger  et  exisloiter 
des  entreprises  de  commerce  et  d'industrie. 

"Nous  ne  mdconnaissons  pas  le  role  important  que  les  membres  de  ce  nouveau  tribunal 
arbitral  seraient  appeles  ii  jouer,  d'autant  plus  que,  dans  notre  pens^e,  ils  auraient  pour 
mission  d'apprdcicr  en  fait  et  non  pas  de  juger  en  droit,  d'intcrprdter  les  conventions  fait€8 
r^ciproquement  et  de  bonne  foi,  les  contrats  bi-lat(!iraux,  et  d'arbitrer  en  6quit^  tous  les  engage- 
ments non  observes  et  leurs  consequences. 

"Leur  sentence  serait  ex6cutoire  sans  opposition,  recours,  ni  appel. 

"Pour  s'acquitter  d'une  telle  mission,  il  y  aurait  lieu  de  faire  appel  a  la  competence  d'in- 
dustriels  et  de  commer^ants,  notables  et  experiment's,  choisis  parmi  les  membres  des  cham- 
bres de  commerce  dignes  de  coUaborer  il  une  ccuvre  de  precipitation  et  d'entente  universclle 
k  c6t6  des  hommes  eminents  en  droit  international,  jurisconsultes  de  la  plus  haute  valeur,  qui 
constituent,  k  I'heure  actuelle,  la  cour  intemationale  d'arbitrage  de  La  Haye. 

"Vous  apprecierez,  messieurs,  s'il  n'appartient  pas  aux  chambres  de  commerce  du 
monde  de  revendiquer,  au  point  de  vue  international,  I'exercice  de  prerogatives  d'arbitrage  et 
de  conciliation  qui  sont  de  leur  essence  mcme  dans  leur  propre  pays,  en  se  renfermant  dans  le 
role  economique  qui  leur  est  assigne  par  les  lois,  sans  empieter  sur  le  terrain  juridique. 

"Vous  montrercz  ainsi,  une  fois  de  plus,  la  place  primordiale  que  les  commer^ants  et  les 
industriels  tiennent  dans  I'univers,  et  la  part  importante  que  leurs  representants  attitrds 
doivent  prendre  desormais  dans  les  conseils  de  leurs  gouvemements." 

{Translation) 
Gentlemen: 

The  creation  of  an  international  tribunal  of  arbitration  for  suits  between  individuals 
and  foreign  governments  has  for  several  years  past  with  good  reason  commanded  the 
serious  attention  of  most  civilized  States.  Since  our  last  London  Congress  the  questions 
have  been  proposed  in  a  very  precise  manner  by  the  Hon.  Mr.  La  Lanne,  delegate 
from  the  United  States  of  America. 

He  has  placed  before  us  considerations  so  obvious,  that  from  that  moment  our 
minds  were  made  up.  The  world's  commerce  requires  the  establishment  of  an  inter- 
national court  of  arbitration. 

The  Reporter  has  shown  us  new  considerations  which  have  satisfied  us  fully;  only 
I  find  that  before  our  unanimous  opinions,  our  unanimous  sentiments,  the  Reporter 
proposes  an  order  of  the  day  which  protracts  to  a  large  extent  the  solution  of  the 
problem  which  commerce  requires  with  so  much  impatience.  He  tells  you:  Let  us  send 
to  our  chambers  of  commerce  the  question  in  order  to  propose  to  our  respective  govern- 
ments the  wish  of  the  commerce  of  every  nation  to  see  the  establishment  of  an  arbi- 
tration court. 

In  this  respect  I  believe  that  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris,  through  its 
devoted  President,  Mr.  Charles  Legrand,  member  of  the  Permanent  Committee,  has  ex- 
pressed a  feeling  with  which  we  are  all  in  hearty  accord,  and  which  will  be  of  great  assis- 
tance in  the  rapid  solution  of  the  problem. 

I  have  the  good  fortune  to  be  able  to  express  the  wish  of  the  Paris  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  in  the  name  of  Mr.  Charles  Legrand,  whose  state  of  health  has  unfor- 


1 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  167 

tunately  prevented  his  being  with  us.  The  wish  of  the  Paris  Chamber  of  Commerce  is 
expressed  in  a  very  precise  manner,  namely,  "That  an  economic  international  section 
be  associated  with  The  Hague  Court  and  entrusted  especially  to  arbitrate,  in  sovereign 
manner,  in  equity  all  international  ditTerences  of  a  commercial  and  industrial  order, 
either  of  States  between  themselves,  or  of  manufacturers  with  foreign  States. 

"That  the  members  of  this  international  tribunal  of  arbitration  be  chosen  from 
among  the  members  of  the  chambers  of  commerce  and  of  the  commercial  and  indus- 
trial associations." 

Permit  me  to  read  to  you  the  part  of  the  report  of  Mr.  Charles  Legrand  which 
justifies  the  creation  of  this  international,  commercial  section,  before  which  differences 
of  economic  and  non-judicial  order  would  be  brought.  It  appears  to  us  justifietl  by  the 
diversity  of  commercial  legislation,  by  the  importance,  more  and  more  world-wide,  of 
industry  and  commerce  and  their  development  on  all  the  points  of  the  globe,  by  this 
extensive  movement  of  credit  which  now  exists  between  all  countries,  which  renders  all 
the  more  necessary  the  protection  of  the  interests  of  individuals,  subscribers  to  foreign 
loans,  and  lastly  by  the  tendency  more  and  more  accentuated  of  a  great  many  States, 
to  create,  direct  and  exploit  commerical  and  industrial  enterprises. 

"We  do  not  slight  the  important  part  the  members  of  this  new  tribunal  of  arbi- 
tration would  be  called  upon  to  play,  and  the  more  so,  since,  in  our  mind,  their  mi.ssion 
would  be  to  appreciate  in  fact,  not  judge  at  law,  to  interpret  the  agreements  made  re- 
ciprocally and  in  good  faith,  the  bi-lateral  contracts,  and  to  arbitrate  in  equity  all  the 
pledges  not  observed  and  their  consequences. 

"Their  decision  would  be  executory-  without  opposition,  recourse  or  appeal. 

"To  fulfil  such  a  mi.ssion,  it  would  be  advisable  to  call  upon  competent  manu- 
facturers and  merchants,  well  known  and  experienced,  chosen  from  among  the  members 
of  the  chambers  of  commerce,  found  worthy  to  collaborate,  working  towards  a  universal 
entente,  with  men  eminent  in  international  law,  jurists  of  the  highest  worth,  such  as 
now  constitute  the  International  Court  of  Arbitration  of  The  Hague. 

"You  will  appreciate,  gentlemen,  whether  it  does  not  rightly  belong  to  the  cham- 
bers of  commerce  of  the  world  to  ask,  from  the  international  point  of  view,  the  exercise 
of  arbitration  and  conciliation,  which  is  fundamental  to  them  in  their  own  countries, 
confining  themselves  to  the  economic  role  which  is  assigned  to  them  by  the  laws, 
without  encroaching  on  the  legal  ground. 

"You  will  thus  show  once  again  the  prominent  part  that  merchants  and  manu- 
facturers hold  in  the  universe,  and  the  important  part  that  their  appointed  representa- 
tives must  hereafter  take  in  the  counsels  of  their  government." 

M.  le  President:  Jc  n'ai  plus  d'inscrits  pour  la  question  qui  est  r6ellement  I'ordre  du 
jour:  "Creation  d'un  Tribunal  arbitral  international,  pour  litiges  entre  particuhers  et  fitata 
Strangers." 

Nous  sommes  done  saisis  des  conclusions  de  M.  Apt,  qxii  dit  qu'il  est  desirable  de  voir 
6tablir  un  organisme  de  I'esp^ce;  et  il  ajoute  qu'il  serait  peut-^tre  opportun  de  dcmander  aux 
£tats-Unis  de  prendre  I'initiative  de  convoquer  une  conference. 

Nous  n'avons  pas  la  question  i\  I'ordre  du  jour,  mais  je  prends  sous  forme  de  motion  les 
d^sirs  que  Ton  pourrait  6mettre  au  sujet  de  voir  I'arbitrage  s'etablir  entre  commergants 
d'abord,  peut-^tre  plus  loin  aprfts.  J'ai,  au  sujet  de  ce  d6sir,  une  demande  de  parole  de  la 
part  de  M.  Roberto  Pozzi. 

{Translation) 

I  have  nobody  else  on  the  list  on  the  question  which  is  actually  the  order  of  the 
day:  namely,  "The  Creation  of  an  Intemationl  Tribunal  of  Arbitration  for  Suits  between 
Individuals  and  Foreign  States." 

We  have  before  us,  therefore,  the  conclusions  of  Mr.   Apt,  who  says  that  it  is 


168  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

desirable  to  see  the  establishment  of  a  tribunal  of  this  kind,  and  adds  that  it  would  per- 
haps be  opportune  to  ask  the  United  States  to  take  the  initiative  for  the  convoking  of 
a  conference. 

While  it  is  not  on  the  order  of  the  day,  I  take  in  the  form  of  a  motion  wishes  that 
could  be  expressed  on  the  subject  of  arbitration,  as  meant  to  be  established  between 
merchants  first,  perhaps  extended  later.  Along  this  line  I  have  a  request  for  the  floor 
from  Mr.  Robebto  Pozzi. 

M.  Roberto  Pozzi,  International  Cotton  Federation  of  Milan,  Italy 

Mr.  Pozzi  made  extended  remarks  in  Italian,  sunmiarized  later,  and  offered  the  following 
motion: 

"La  F6d^ration  Internationale  des  Associations  Patronalesde  Filateurset  Manufacturiers 
de  Coton,  en  exprimact  la  plus  \-ive  approbation  a  la  proposition  des  'Altesten  der  Kauf- 
mannschaft  von  Berlin'  a  Tobjet  de  la  creation  d'un  tribunal  d'arbitrage  pour  les  diff^rends 
entre  particuliers  et  £tats  Strangers,  recommande  aux  soins  du  comit^  ex^cutif  des  congres 
I'dtude  de  la  question  relative  a  I'unification  des  diff^rents  systemes  de  droit  en  matiere  d'ar- 
bitrage entre  particuliers,  surtout  au  sujet  de  la  validite  ou  non  de  la  clause  compromissoire; 
prie  le  congres  de  vouloir  bien  prendre  en  consideration  la  question  et  la  passer  au  bureau 
flfin  qu'elle  soit  pr^sent^  apres  I'instruction  au  prochain  congres." 

(Translation) 

"The  International  Federation  of  the  Patronal  Associations  of  Weavers  andManu- 
facturers  of  Cotton,  express  the  keenest  approbation  of  the  prof>osition  of  'Die  Altesten 
der  Kauf mannschaft  von  Berlin '  for  the  creation  of  a  tribimal  of  arbitration  for  the  differ- 
ences between  individual  and  foreign  States,  recommends  to  the  attention  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Congresses  the  study  of  the  question  concerning  the  unification  of  the 
different  systems  of  law,  in  the  matter  of  arbitration  between  individuals,  especially  as 
regards  the  validity  or  otherwise  of  the  clause  of  compromise,  and  requests  the  Congress  to 
take  into  consideration  this  question,  and  to  refer  it  to  the  desk  so  that  it  may  be  presented 
to  the  next  Congress  after  instruction." 

M.  le  President:  M.  Pozzi  porte  I'adh^ion  de  la  F^eration  siisdite  k  la  proposition 
relative  a  la  creation  d'un  tribunal  d'arbitrage  f>our  les  differends  entre  particuhers  et  Etats 
Strangers;  cep)endant,  le  theme  ne  represente  qu'un  cas  particulier  de  la  plus  vaste  question  de 
reglement  des  questions  qui  puissent  surgir  entre  citoyens  de  diff^rents  pays,  ou  entre  les  pays 
eux-memes. 

La  question  a  d^ik  6t6  touch^e  par  les  orateurs  pr^c^ents.  M .  Pozzi  insiste  a  ce  que  soient 
unifies  les  differentes  legislations  au  sujet  de  I'arbitrage  de  droit  priv6,  legislation  qui  prfeente 
les  plus  notables  disparit^s.  lis  s'entretiennent  surtout  sur  les  inconvenients  auxquels  donne 
lieu  le  fait  que  telle  legislation  ne  reconnalt  pas  la  vahdite  de  la  clause  compromissoire.  et 
proj)ose  ime  motion  afin  que  la  question  soit  examinee  par  le  comite  ex6cutif  et  port^e  a  la 
discussion  au  prochain  congres.  II  ajoute  —  ce  qui  est  important  k  connaltre  —  que  le  com- 
merce international  de  coton,  en  Europe,  k  la  suite  de  longues  etudes,  a  pu  obtenir  I'approbation 
de  toutes  les  associations  cotonnieres  a  un  reglement  de  I'arbitrage  qui  va  entrer  en  \-igueur 
dfes  le  mois  de  novembre  de  cette  annee. 

Je  remercie  M.  Pozzi  de  son  interessante  commimication.  II  s'agit  d'une  motion  avec 
renvoi  au  comite  permanent,  pour  faire  event uellement  de  cette  question  I'objet  d'un  ordre 
du  jour  du  prochain  congres. 

M.  Pozzi  a  developpe  tres  largement  sa  prop>osition.  Je  ne  sais  si  le  service  de  steno- 
graphic a  pu  prendre  le  texte  italien.  Je  le  prieraLs  en  tous  cas  de  bien  vouloir  completer  le 
resume  qu'il  vient  de  nous  donner  en  fran^ais.  II  serait  aussi  desirable,  il  me  semble,  —  si 
e'est  I'avis  du  congrte  —  d'avoir  egalement  im  court  resume  dans  lea  autres  langues,  afin 
que  ceux  qui  ne  comprennent  ni  le  fran^ais  ni  Titahen  puissent  quand  m^me  etre  au  courant 
de  la  proposition.  Un  de  nos  collegues  allemands  du  comite  permanent  voudra  bien  nous 
dire  en  quelques  mots,  en  allemand,  le  resimie  de  la  proposition  de  M.  Pozzi.  Je  pense  que  tous 
les  membres  du  congrte  auront  ainsi  satisfaction. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  169 

{Translation) 

Mr.  Pozzi  brings  the  support  of  the  above-mentioned  Federation  to  the  proposition 
concerning  the  creation  of  the  court  of  arbitration  for  differences  between  individuals  and 
foreign  States.  What  has  been  said  merely  suggests  the  great  tlifferences  which  may 
arise  between  citizens  of  different  countries,  or  between  the  countries  themselves. 

The  question  has  already  been  discussed  by  the  preceding  speakers.  Mr.  Pozzi 
insists  that  the  different  legislation  on  the  subject  of  arbitration  be  unified,  such  legislation 
now  presenting  the  most  noticeable  disparities.  He  emphasizes  es^pecially  the  incon- 
■j  veniences  which  arise  from  the  fact  that  such  legislation  does  not  recognize  the  validity 
■  of  the  clause  of  compromise,  and  offers  a  motion  that  the  question  be  examined  by 
the  executive  committee  and  brought  up  for  discussion  at  the  next  Congress.  He  adds 
—  and  this  is  important  to  notice  —  that  the  international  cotton  business  in  Europe, 
after  a  long  study,  has  obtained  the  approbation  of  all  the  cotton  associations  to  a  ruling 
of  arbitration  which  will  be  enforced  next  November. 

I  thank  Mr.  Pozzi  for  his  interesting  communication.  He  offers  a  motion  with  refer- 
ence to  the  Permanent  Committee  making  eventually  of  this  question  the  subject  of  an 
order  of  the  day  at  the  next  Congress. 

Mr.  Pozzi  has  developed  very  extensively  his  proposition.  I  do  not  know  if  the 
stenographic  service  has  been  able  to  takedown  the  Italian  text.  I  will  request  him  to 
kindly  complete  the  r6sum6  which  he  has  just  given  us  in  French.  It  would  also  seem 
desirable,  —  if  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  Congress,  —  to  have  a  short  r(5.sum6  in  the  other 
languages,  so  that  those  who  do  not  understand  French  or  Italian  could  be  informed 
on  the  proposition.  One  of  my  German  colleagues  of  the  Pennanent  Committee  will 
now  tell  us  in  a  few  words,  in  German,  the  r(?sum6  of  Mr.  Pozzi's  proposition.  I  think 
that  all  the  members  of  the  Congress  thus  will  understand  it. 

Dr.  Soetbeer  (Berlin)  iibersetzt  die  Ausfiihrungen  des  italienischen  Redners  wie  folgt: 
Dor  Rcdner  stellt  sich  auf  den  Standpunkt,  daC  der  Vorschlag  des  Herm  Dr.  Apt  gut- 
zuheiUen  sei.  Hauptsachlich  aber  betont  er,  daC  man  auch  ein  Schiedsgericht  zwischen 
Kaufleuten  zum  Gegenstande  der  Erorterung  machen  soUe.  Er  weist  darauf  hin,  daC  schieds- 
gerichtliche  Entscheidungen  fur  Streitigkeiten  zwischen  Kaufleuten  wlinschenswert  seien,  daC 
aber  zurzeit  groCe  Schwierigkeiten  fur  die  Durchfiihrung  dieses  Gedankens  bestiinden.  Die 
Schwierigkeiten  findet  er  hauptsachlich  darin,  daC  es  Staaten  gibt,  welche  Vereinbarungen 
fiir  schiedsgerichtliche  Entscheidungen  tiberhaupt  nicht  anerkemien,  und  daC  andere  Staaten 
gewisse  Bedingimgen  stellen,  von  denen  sie  die  Anerkennung  abhiingig  machen.  Hieraus 
entstanden  groBe  Schwierigkeiten,  und  es  erscheine  wlinschenswert,  diese  Schwierigkeiten  zu 
beseitigen. 

Da  aber  dieser  Gegenstand  nicht  auf  der  Tagcsordnung  des  heutigen  Kongrcsses  stehe, 
gcht  der  Vorschlag  des  Redners  nur  dahin,  da(3  bei  dem  stiindigen  Komitee  eine  Priifung  der 
Frage  stattfinden  moge,  damit  sie  gegebenenfalls  auf  die  Tagung  des  nachsten  Kongresses  ge- 
eetzt  werde. 

{Translation) 

Dr.  Soetbeer  of  Berlin  translates  the  remarks  of  the  Italian  speaker  as  follows: 
The  speaker  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  proposal  of  Dr.  Apt  is  to  be  approved. 
Mainly,  however,  he  emphasizes  the  desirability  of  an  expression  in  favor  of  arbitration 
between  business  men  although  at  the  present  time  there  are  great  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  carrying  this  into  execution.  He  considers  that  the  difhcultios  mainly  consist  in 
the  fact  that  there  are  States  which  do  not  recognize  agreements  for  arbitral  justice 
at  all,  while  other  States  prescribe  certain  conditions  upon  which  they  make  its  recogni- 
tion dependent.  This  creates  great  difficulties  and  it  appears  desirable  to  remove  them. 
.\s,  however,  this  subject  is  not  on  the  order  of  the  day  of  the  present  Congress, 
the  speaker  proposes  that  the  Permanent  Committee  should  make  an  investigation  of 
this  question,  so  that  it  might  eventually  be  placed  on  the  program  of  the  next  Congress. 


170  IXTERXATIOXAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Mr.  Lawrence  V.  Benet,  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris 

Mr.  Chairman: 

After  most  careful  consideration  of  the  naasterly  and  exhaustive  report  of  Dr.  Apt,  the 
delegation  of  the  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  Pari.s  have  requested  me  to  place  be- 
fore you  certain  considerations  which  may  throw  a  little  light  on  this  subject  from  another 
point  of  view.  It  is  in  no  spirit  of  opposition  to  the  principles  of  arbitration  that  we  are  in- 
clined to  believe  that  the  subject  as  stated  is  not  of  general  and  immediate  interest  to  cham- 
bers of  commerce,  but  that  in  a  modified  form  it  might  become  a  most  fruitful  subject  of 
discussion  at  a  subsequent  Congress.    Three  reasons  have  led  us  to  this  conclusion :  — 

First:  It  is  not  apparent,  nor  has  it  been  demonstrated,  that  there  is  any  great  or  urgent 
need  of  such  a  tribunal  on  the  part  of  individuals  or  corporations  engaged  in  what  is  generally 
recognized  as  commercial  relations  with  foreign  governments.  I  may  say,  that  I  have  been 
engaged  for  nearly  thirty  years  in  a  business  whose  dealings  have  been  almost  exclusively 
confined  to  governments;  that  our  transactions  have  aggregated  in  that  period  very  many 
millions  of  dollars,  and  have  involved  relations  with  nearly  everj*  government  in  the  world, 
recognized  or  unrecognized,  rich  or  bankrupt,  stable  or  on  the  verge  of  revolution;  and  dur- 
ing that  entire  time  I  can  only  recall  two  instances  of  uncollectible  claims,  and  these  for  rela- 
tively unimportant  amounts.  Even  should  such  a  tribunal  be  constituted,  a  man  of  business 
with  his  future  before  him  might  long  hesitate  before  haling  a  government  before  a  court  of 
international  arbitration  or  international  equity. 

Second:  Such  a  court  might  even  be  of  direct  danger  to  the  interests  of  individuals  hav- 
ing commercial  relations  with  foreign  governments.  It  is  hardly  conceivable,  if  the  right  be 
given  individuals  to  summon  governments  before  such  a  court,  that  governments  should  not 
enjoy  a  corresponding  right  to  summon  individuals  or  corporations  before  the  same  tribunal. 
No  man  of  business  can  lightly  contemplate  such  a  possibility,  aside  from  all  question  of  the 
expense  involved,  in  time  and  money. 

Third:  The  establishment  of  such  a  court  seems  to  be  beyond  the  range  of  present  possi- 
bihty.  It  would  appear  to  us  visionarj'  to  expect  that  any  government  would  agree  to  sub- 
mit to  the  jursidiction  of  such  a  court,  unless  all  other  countries  had  made  a  like  agreement; 
and  it  is  hardly  probable  that  any  country  with  highly  developed  legal  machinery  for  obtain- 
ing justice  against  the  government  thereof,  would  lightly  abandon  such  practice.  If  such  a 
court  were  established,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  claims  antedating  the  establishment  of 
the  court  would  be  excluded  from  the  jurisdiction  thereof,  and  in  such  case  our  present  in- 
terest in  such  a  court  might  perhaps  lose  much  of  its  enthusiasm. 

Finally:  We  beheve  that  the  subject  in  its  present  form  is  one  that  is  so  foreign  to  the 
usual  activities  of  chambers  of  commerce  that  better  wisdom  might  be  to  leave  its  discussion 
to  international  lawj'ers  and  others  more  competent  in  the  premises. 

If,  however,  the  subject  could  be  modified  to  read:  "International  Court  of  Arbitration 
for  disputes  between  individuals  or  between  corporations  of  different  nationalities,"  then  we 
beheve  that  the  subject  would  become  one  capable  of  more  intelligent  discussion  by  chambers 
of  commerce,  and  one  which  might  lead  to  results  of  the  greatest  value  to  all  engaged  in 
foreign  trade  and  commerce.  In  this  connection  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York,  the  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris,  and 
other  organizations  in  close  touch  with  international  trade  have  already  provided  means  for 
the  voluntar>-  arbitration  of  commercial  disputes  between  individuals  of  the  same  or  of  differ- 
ent nationalities,  and  we  therefore  strongly  advocate  giving  a  broader  and  more  authoritative 
scope  to  this  more  comprehensive  principle  of  commeni;d  arbitration. 

Once  the  authoritative  arbitration  of  commercial  di-sjiutes  has  been  realized,  success  will 
surely  be  found  for  the  settlement  of  such  special  cases  as  are  covered  by  Dr.  Apt's  sugges- 
tions. 

M.  le  President:  Cette  motion  est  done  prise  en  consideration  pour  renvoi  au  comit4 
permanent. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  171 

J'ai,  d'autre  part,  une  demande  de  parole  de  la  part  de  certains  de  nos  colli^gues  de  Boston, 
toujours  sur  cette  question  de  I'arbitrago,  inais  portee  un  peu  plus  haut.  Je  donnc  done 
volontiers  la  parole  h  M.  Edwin  D.  Mkad. 

{Translation) 

This  motion  then  is  taken  under  consideration   for  reference  to    the  Permanent 

r     Committee. 
I  have  a  request  for  the  floor  on  the  part  of  certain  of  our  colleagues  in  Boston,  still 
on  tliis  question  of  arbitration,  but  carried  a  little  higher.    I  gladly  give  the  floor  to  Mr. 
Edwix  D.  Mead.  • 

Mr.  Edwin  D.  Mead,  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen: 

I  am  very  glad  that  after  the  general  consideration  of  international  arbitration  in  previ- 
ous conferences,  we  have  had  the  subject  introduced  here  to-day  of  the  settlement  of  cases 
between  States  and  individuals.  I  have  listened  with  great  interest  to  Dr.  Apt's  paj^cr  and  I 
am  glad  that  the  subject  has  been  introduced  here  on  American  soil  by  a  German  interna- 
tional thmker.  Dr.  .\pt  has  quoted  Dr.  Zom  of  Bonn,  for  whom  all  men  of  international 
acquaintance  in  .Vmerica  have  such  high  regard,  and  he  mentioned  Dr.  Zoni's  desire  that 
the  basis  of  this  international  court  should  be  much  wider  than  that  proposed  from  BerUn. 
He  was  not  speaking  of  the  outline  by  Dr.  Apt,  but  of  the  previous  suggestions  of  "Die  Alte- 
Bten  der  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin."  There  are  manj'  of  us  who  wish  that  this  whole  dis- 
cu.s.sion  might  have  had  a  broader  basis;  and  it  was  expected  that  the  general  question  of 
arbitration,  as  a  result  of  the  action  at  London  and  subsequently  at  Paris,  would  have  been 
open  for  discussion  as  a  regular  part  of  the  program;  but  it  was  ordered  other%vise. 

A  great  step  has  been  taken  leading  I  think  far  more  directly  than  Dr.  Apt  may  think, 
to  the  end  that  he  has  in  view;  and  I  am  glad,  I  repeat,  that  Dr.  Apt  made  his  proposal  on 
American  soil.  I  wish,  as  an  American,  to  express  the  thought  wliich  I  believe  is  in  the  minds 
of  international  thinkers  in  common,  that  the  proposition  for  the  court  of  arbitral  justice 
which  was  made  at  The  Hague  by  our  American  representative,  Mr.  Choate,  and  ably  sec- 
onded by  Baron  Marshall  von  Bieberstein,  the  leading  German  delegate  at  the  Second  Hague 
Conference,  now  the  German  Ambassador  at  London,  and  adopted  by  the  conference,  may 
soon  become  an  accomplished  fact.^ 

The  Secretary-  of  the  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor  said  here  this  morning  that 
commerce  is  always  the  pioneer.  In  this  matter  I  wish  to  remind  you  that  commerce  has  not 
been  the  pioneer.  Here  the  governments  have  been  distinctly  in  the  lead;  but  the  men  of 
commerce  in  this  worlil  and  particularly  this  great  assembly,  have  the  opportunity  to  create 
the  strong  public  opinion  which  will  reinforce  the  governments  in  this  endeavor. 

We  remember  here  in  America  that  it  was  our  fonner  great  Secretary  of  State,  Elihu 
Root,  who  was  the  author  of  the  idea  of  the  establishment  of  a  court  of  arbitral  justice,  and 
we  remember  how  he  appealed  to  us  all  to  create  that  public  opinion  which  should  thus  rein- 
force the  governments  in  their  efforts  for  its  establishment.  In  his  paper  Dr.  Apt  ha.s  referred 
to  the  Court  of  Central  America  at  Cartago,  Costa  Rica,  established  by  five  States,  which 
ha.s  the  power  to  decide  not  onlj*  disputes  between  those  States,  but  also  the  disputes  between 
private  persons  and  the  governments  of  Central  America.  But  he  did  not  make  a  far  greater 
appeal,  and  one  far  more  illuminating;  he  did  not  refer  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States.  The  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  e.vists  not  onlj*  for  the  purpose  of  adjudicat- 
ing cases  between  states,  but  between  individuals  and  states  and  between  individuals  of  dif- 
ferent states,  as  well  as  between  the  states  and  the  nation.  Now  I  believe  that  the  court  of 
arbitral  justice,  when  it  is  established,  will  in  time  have  its  jurisdiction  and  its  functions  so 

'  The  news  of  the  death  of  Baron  von  Bieberstein  appeared  in  the  evening  newspapers  of  the  day  on  which 
the  above  speech  was  delivered. 


172  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

extended  as  will  assure  that  it  will  cover  all  these  cases,  and  I  believe  that  that  court  of  arbi- 
tral justice  will  be  the  tnie  instrumentality  which  will  accomplish  the  great  end  which  Dr. 
Apt  has  in  view,  and  which  it  is  so  necessarj'  to  empha-sizc. 

I  do  not  believe  in  advocating  a  new  court  at  this  time,  instead  of  pressing  for  the  found-  ■ 
ing  of  the  court  of  arbitral  justice  which  has  already  been  decreed  at  the  Second  Hague  Con- 
ference, and  awaits  only  its  organization.  I  believe  that  in  urging  strongly  the  establishment 
of  the  court  of  arbitral  justice  we  shall  best  accomplish  what  Dr.  Apt  has  at  heart.  Upon 
this  matter  there  is  room  for  legitimate  differences  of  opinion.  But  there  is  no  room  for  dif- 
ference of  opinion  I  think  as  to  the  importance  to  commercial  men  of  the  establishment  of 
the  court  of  arbitral  justice.  The  commercial  bodies  of  America  are  a  unit  in  this  thing;  and 
it  is  the  duty  of  commercial  men  everj-where  to  hasten  the  establishment  of  the  court.  I 
therefore  venture  to  submit  the  following  brief  resolution: 

"The  Fifth  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce,  representing  the  great 
interests  of  industry  and  commerce  which  are  increasing  so  rapidly  the  interdependence  of 
nations  and  demand  so  imperatively  for  their  advancement  and  prosperity  the  peace  and  order 
of  the  world,  urges  the  commercial  organizations  of  all  countries  to  earnest  efforts  for  the 
widest  extention  of  arbitration  to  the  settlement  of  international  disputes  and  for  the  earliest 
possible  establishment  of  the  Court  of  Arbitral  Justice  provided  for  by  the  last  Hague  Con- 
ference." 

M.  le  President:  Cette  rc^solution,  comme  la  pr(?c(5dente,  ne  pent  6tre  prise  que  pour 
notification  au  comitd  permanent.  La  question  n'est  pas  a  I'ordre  du  jour  et  nous  n'avons 
pas  k  voter  sur  cette  resolution. 

Nous  admirons  beaucoup  les  bonnes  raisons  que  vient  de  nous  donner  M.  Mead.  Sa  re- 
solution est  done  h  transmettre,  pour  notification,  au  comit(?  permanent. 

J'ai  aussi  une  demande  de  parole  de  la  part  de  M.  Edwin  Gixn. 

(Translation) 

This  resolution,  like  the  preceding  one,  can  only  be  regarded  as  a  notification  to  the 
Permanent  Committee.  The  question  is  not  on  the  order  of  the  day  and  we  do  not  have 
to  vote  on  this  resolution. 

We  admire  greatly  the  excellent  reasons  that  Mr.  Mead  has  just  given  us,  and  the 
matter  will  be  transmitted,  for  notification,  to  the  Permanent  Committee. 

I  have  also  a  request  that  the  floor  be  given  to  Mr.  Edwin  Ginn. 


Mr.  Edwin  Ginn,  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen: 

The  .subject  before  us  to-day  is  one  that  affects  all  nations  alike.  It  is  for  the  interest 
of  all  that  peace  and  order  should  reign  and  anything  that  will  contribute  to  that  end  should 
receive  serious  consideration.  Commercial  bodies  should  use  their  utmost  influence  to  bring 
about  the  establishment  of  a  judicial  court  and  urge  their  governments  to  take  advantage  of 
it  in  all  future  difficulties.  Such  a  court  composed  of  the  ablest  jurists  in  the  world  would 
naturally  command  the  confidence  of  all  nations. 

I  am  in  hearty  sympathy  with  ever>-  effort  in  this  direction,  but  it  seems  to  me  we  should 
go  even  further  and  bend  our  energies  to  the  education  of  the  people  to  a  right  idea  of  inter- 
national relations. 

It  is  the  claim  of  militar\-  men  that  large  armaments  are  necessarj'  to  preserve  the  peace 
of  the  world,  —  a  sort  of  insurance  premium  jiaid  to  .secure  it.  This  assumption  is  not  war- 
ranted by  the  facts.  Large  armaments  insjiire  distrust,  fear  and  antagonism,  conditions 
directly  opposed  to  good  will  and  peace.  It  is  natural,  perhaps,  that  the  nations  should  feel 
that  they  must  rely  for  .safety  upon  a  phyi^ical  force,  for  until  recently  such  protection  haa 
been  necessary.    But  now  the  individual  nations  compel  their  subjects  to  settle  their  disputes 


i 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  173 

in  the  courts;  and  the  nations  themselves  should  refer  their  difficulties  to  a  judicial  court  for 
settlement. 

The  military'  system  is  a  tremendous  power  to  cope  with,  for  it  is  supported  by  such  vjist 
interests  that  it  is  almost  overwhelming.  Five  million  men  are  constantly  employed  in  the 
armies  of  the  world  and  twenty-five  million  a  jiart  of  the  time,  all  of  whom  are  looking  to  the 
trade  of  war  for  their  promotion,  as  a  busine.-<s,  and  their  fjimilies  are  dependent  upon  their 
salaries  for  a  livelihood.  Then,  nearly  two  thousand  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  contracts 
are  given  out  each  year  for  the  building  of  war  ships  and  for  military  supplies  of  all  kinds, 
which  men  are  seeking  to  secure  for  the  profit  that  is  in  them.  They  are  pursuing  this  busi- 
ness as  they  would  any  other,  and  it  is  only  right  to  state  that  the  majoritj'  probably  consider 
their  occupation  entirely  legitimate  and  necessary  for  the  protection  of  the  world.  It  has 
been  stated  that  nearly  one-sixth  of  the  peo])lc  of  the  various  countries  are  financially  interested 
in  keeping  uj)  the  present  war  .system.  When  we  consider  these  things  it  gives  us  an  insight 
into  the  tremendous  obstacles  against  any  change. 

What  have  we  to  oppose  them?  A  hantlful  of  men  who  are  willing  to  put  their  hands  in 
their  pockets  to  advance  the  cause  of  peace,  with  a  very  limited  amount  of  money.  Not  one 
person  in  ten  thousand  ever  contributes  a  dollar  to  further  the  interests  of  peace.  Each  goes 
about  his  daily  work  as  if  war  did  not  exist,  as  if  it  were  not  the  greatest  scourge  that  man- 
kind has  to  endure.  The  best  men  and  women  desire  that  this  murderous  system  be  done 
away  with;  that  the  annaments  be  reduced;  that  so  many  men  need  not  be  taken  from  their 
homes  to  be  supported  in  idleness  at  the  ex-pense  of  those  who  are  left  behind,  and  that  so 
many  hves  need  not  be  sacrificed  in  the  strength  of  early  manhood.  But  while  this  feeling  is 
prevalent,  it  is  latent  and  a  change  cannot  be  brought  about  suddenly  by  a  few  good  speeches 
and  books  scattered  in  a  luuited  way.  No  matter  how  good  the  speeches  made  or  the  books 
published,  they  do  not  reach  the  public  to  any  great  extent,  and  as  a  general  rule  only  come 
to  the  attention  of  those  who  need  no  conversion. 

Our  conventions  neglect  one  of  the  most  important  objects  to  be  attained,  that  of  ap- 
pointing a  committee  of  ways  and  means  to  discuss  matters  from  a  financial  standpoint. 
The  work  heretofore  has  been  too  indefinite,  too  limited.  It  has  been  largely  undertaken  by 
scholars  and  theorists  in  an  academic  way  rather  than  on  business  principles.  The  co-oper- 
ation of  men  of  finance  has  not  been  secured.  The  best  plans  that  can  be  made  and  the  best 
men  that  can  be  engaged  will  be  of  httle  avail  unless  funds  are  available  for  carrying  on  the 
work.  I  do  not  underrate  the  effort  to  arouse  the  people  to  activity  through  conventions,  for 
ever>-thing  that  creates  interest  in  this  great  cause  is  helpful,  but  sudden  or  temporary  emotion 
dies  away  as  suddenly  as  it  is  created.  The  only  way  to  succeed  is  by  educating  the  people 
and  this  education  must  of  necessity  be  of  slow  growth.  Not  until  men  shall  have  learned  to 
subordinate  individual  preferences  and  selfish  interests,  their  pride  and  their  passion,  to  the 
general  welfare  of  the  people,  and  can  be  brought  to  work  shoulder  to  shoulder  for  the  highest 
interests  of  mankind  will  rapid  progress  be  made  toward  permanent  peace. 

The  individual  nations  have  been  treating  peace  and  war  as  a  national  afTair.  Each  has 
felt  it  necessar>'  to  arm  itself  to  ward  off  attacks  from  all  sources.  The  larger  the  armaments, 
the  greater  the  fear  of  each  other,  and  this  fear  can  only  be  dissipated  by  inaugurating  some 
Bj'stem  of  co-operation  which  shall  make  the  interests  of  all  nations  identical.  Would  it  not  be 
well  for  us  to  join  hands  and  see  how  much  benefit  each  can  secure  for  the  other?  The  nations 
will  not  cut  down  their  armies  voluntarily  until  provision  has  been  made  for  securing  protec- 
tion in  some  other  way.  This  can  be  done  by  establishing  a  small  international  force  for  the 
preservation  of  peace,  consisting  of  a  certain  proportion,  say  ten  per  cent,  of  the  annaments 
of  each  nation.  Such  an  arrangement  would  in  no  way  disturb  the  relative  efficiency  of  exist- 
ing armies.  This  international  force,  instead  of  being  organized  on  the  selfi.sh  plan  of  each 
nation  securing  as  much  as  possible  for  itself,  should  be  organized  on  the  broader  plan  of  pro- 
tection for  all,  which  also  would  in.sure  greater  protection  for  the  individual  nation.  Any 
State  that  is  working  for  the  good  of  all  is  as  much  greater  in  its  efficiency  as  the  whole  is 
greater  than  its  parts.    Such  a  wholesome  power  would  strengthen  with  the  years  and  when 


174  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

it  had  been  in  operation  sufficiently  long  to  satisfy  the  nations  that  they  could  rest  securely 
upon  its  protection,  they  would  not  continue  to  tax  themselves  so  heavily  for  national  arma- 
ments no  lonj^er  needed  and  those  armaments  would  gradually  disappear. 

Why  should  there  not  be  a  representative  parliament  of  the  nations  summoned  to  settle 
on  some  plan  of  co-ojieration,  similar  to  The  Hague  Court?  It  is  not  a  very  great  step  from 
the  one  to  the  other.  Then  we  should  have  the  three  necessar)'  branches  of  a  world  federation, 
—  the  legislative,  the  judicial  and  the  executive.  When  such  an  organization  is  formed,  the 
peace  of  the  world  will  be  assured. 

In  this  work  of  education  we  shall  need  to  avail  ourselves  of  every  avenue  of  influence, 
and  first  among  these  is  schools.  Here  is  our  greatest  opportunity  for  impressing  upon  the 
young  minds,  —  those  who  will  soon  undertake  the  world's  work,  —  the  true  principles  which 
should  govern  international  affairs. 

Our  attention  should  be  directed  especially  to  the  courses  of  study  in  order  that  we  may 
improve  conditions  in  the  schools.  It  is  surprising  that  our  children  should  receive  the  im- 
pression that  war  has  contributed  cardinally  to  the  development  of  mankind  when  so  large  a 
part  of  our  histories  and  so  much  of  the  literature  studied  are  devoted  to  details  of  the  battle- 
field, —  the  picturesque  features  of  war,  —  the  marshalling  of  soldiers  in  glittering  armor, 
stirring  music  and  brilliant  charges,  —  everj-thing  to  inspire  the  young  to  become  a  part  of 
this  magnificent  display.  The  other  side  of  the  picture  should  be  as  carefully  portrayed,  — 
the  return  of  the  regiments  reduced  to  a  tenth  of  their  original  number,  maimed  and  feeble, 
carrj'ing  torn  and  bloodstained  battle  flags.  That  side  of  the  picture  is  necessary  for  a  proper 
comprehension  of  the  meaning  of  war.  That  a  hundred  thousand  men  should  have  been 
killed  upon  the  battlefield  should  be  mentioned,  not  as  something  praiseworthy,  but  as  a 
great  loss  to  the  world.  History  should  dwell  largely  upon  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  life  which 
have  made  for  growth  and  progress  in  civilization,  —  agriculture,  trade,  commerce,  schools, 
science. 

Then  there  are  the  churches  which  come  in  contact  with  all  classes  and  conditions  of  men 
the  world  over.    Here  is  a  tremendous  influence  that  should  be  taken  into  consideration. 

The  press  is  a  most  powerful  influence  in  this  educational  work,  and  one  that  the  world 
responds  to  most  readily.  Editors  should  be  urged  to  use  the  greatest  care  in  the  selection  of 
material  for  their  publications,  and  to  eliminate  as  far  as  possible  such  matter  as  would  incite 
the  people  of  one  nation  against  another.  Those  who  write  for  the  newspapers  should  have  a 
serious  appreciation  of  their  responsibility. 

Another  great  body  of  men  of  great  influence  are  the  merchants,  the  manufacturers  and 
financiers  of  the  world.  They  hold  within  their  grasp  the  means  for  carrying  on  war,  and  they 
should  have  the  fullest  information  bearing  upon  this  subject  in  order  that  they  may  see  the 
wisdom  of  withholding  their  support  from  a  system  that  is  exercising  such  a  baneful  influence. 

In  this  connection  I  would  recommend  heartily  Norman  Angell's  book,  "The  Great  Illu- 
sion," for  it  shows  very  clearly  the  impotency  and  utter  unfitness  of  the  old  war  system  in 
this  modem  commercial  age  when  investments  are  so  largelj'  international  and  when  the 
real  commercial  interests  of  one  nation  arc  the  interests  of  all  the  world.  If  nations  would 
put  more  money  into  peace  budgets  instead  of  so  much  into  war  budgets  and  devote  them- 
selves to  constructive  measures  in  bringing  about  mutual  good  understanding,  it  would  be 
the  chief  and  the  effective  instnunentality  at  the  present  time.  The  court  must  take  the 
place  of  the  gun  in  settling  disputes  among  nations,  as  it  has  already  done  in  settling  disputes 
among  individuals. 

^^'hen  the  well-organized  war  powers  and  selfish  interests  are  united  in  taxing  the  whole 
world  yearly  for  the  enormous  sum  of  nearly  two  thousand  million  dollars,  what  will  a  few 
million  dollars  do  to  meet  this  enormous  force?  It  will  take  many  millions  to  carrj'  on  this 
work  succes.sfully  and  the  fvmtls  given  by  a  few  generous  people  are  wholly  inadequate.  More- 
over it  would  not  be  well  for  the  people  to  feel  that  this  respon.sibility  hail  been  taken  from 
their  shoulders  and  that  the  work  could  be  accomplished  without  their  assistance.  A  jierson 
is  interested  in  that  in  which  he  has  an  investment,  either  in  time  or  money,  and  it  is  this 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  175 

investment,  this  responsibility,  thut  the  friends  of  peace  must  take  upon  themselves  if  tliis 
problem  is  ever  to  be  solved.  Great  as  is  the  power  of  moral  and  intellectual  forces,  we  have 
before  us  a  task  that  few  comprehend.  It  is  for  us  not  only  to  institute  the  measures  neces- 
sary to  curtail  this  awful  waste  of  life  and  j)roperty,  but  to  bring  conviction  to  the  masses 
that  this  question  cannot  be  handled  successfully  by  a  few  people.  It  is  a  work,  a  most  diffi- 
cult work,  for  the  whole  world.  We  must  do  our  part  towartls  bringing  the  subject  so  force- 
fully before  each  and  ever>'  one  that  all  will  feel  that  it  is  necessary  to  take  a  hand  in  it. 

It  would  be  verj'  desirable  that  this  Congress  should  pa.ss  resolutions  creating  in  each 
country,  better  still  in  each  organization,  a  committee  to  take  in  hand  this  great  question,  to 
study  it  as  the  one  problem  above  all  others  afTecting  their  own  private  interests,  and  to  adopt 
such  measures  as  will  secure  the  means  to  prosecute  successfully  the  work. 

Tliese  are  some  of  the  considerations  wliich  command  commercial  bodies  everj'where  to 
work  earnestly  for  the  system  of  arbitration  and  international  law  to  supplant  the  war  system 
and  the  next  important  step  to  this  is  the  establishment  of  the  Court  of  Arbitral  Justice. 
(Ajifilnitse.) 

M.  le  President:  Messieurs,  j'ai  laiss6  la  parole  express(?ment  h  I'honorable  M.  Edwin 
Ginn,  d'abortl  parce  que  c'est  un  de  nos  hotes  de  Boston,  en.^uite,  parce  que  c'est  un  philan- 
thrope bien  connu,  le  fondateur  de  la  "Fondation  Universelle  pour  la  Paix."  Je  le  remercie 
des  bonnes  jiaroles  qu'il  a  bien  voulu  nous  apporter,  et  je  propose  de  verser  le  texte  de  son 
discours  aux  documents,  et  le  comite  permanent  en  fera  le  meilleur  usage. 

La  parole  est  maintenant  k  M.  Samuel  Capen. 

(Translation) 

I  have  given  the  floor  to  the  Hon.  Mr.  Edwin  Ginn,  in  the  first  place  because  he 
is  one  of  our  Boston  hosts,  and  moreover  because  he  is  a  well-known  pliilanthropist,  the 
founder  of  the  "World  Peace  Foundation."  I  thank  him  for  the  good  words  he  has 
kindh-  brought  us,  and  will  refer  his  address  to  the  Pennanent  Committee  for  their 
careful  consideration. 

Mr.  Samuel  Capen  now  has  the  floor. 

Mr.  Samuel  B.  Capen,  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen: 

The  hour  is  so  late  that  what  I  shall  have  to  say  will  be  verj-  brief.  Before  speaking  of 
the  Mohonk  Arbitration  Conference  I  wish  to  second  the  broad  resolution  that  Mr.  Mead 
has  introduced. 

It  is  a  matter  of  great  interest  that  there  are  two  hundred  boards  of  trade  and  chambers 
of  commerce  representing  everj*  large  city  in  this  country-  that  are  practically  affiliated  with 
the  Mohonk  Arbitration  Conference  and  are  pledged  practically  to  support  the  I'nited  States 
government  in  every  move  that  it  makes  in  the  effort  to  settle  evcr>-  intenialional  difference 
by  a  court  of  arbitral  justice.  I  have  here  and  will  leave  with  the  Secretarj-  the  business 
men's  resolutions  offered  at  Mohonk,  and  also  a  copy  of  the  rci)ort  of  the  last  Lake  Mohonk 
Conference.  As  an  evidence  of  this  position  on  the  part  of  tho.'^e  organizations,  let  me  call 
attention  also  to  the  fact  that  nearly  two  hundred  boards  of  trade  endorsed  the  pacts  with 
other  nations  made  by  President  Taft  a  few  months  ago,  and  these  two  hundred  organizations 
represented  cities  having  a  population  of  twenty  millions  of  people. 

It  is  certainly  true  in  this  country  that  the  business  men  and  the  financial  interests  rec- 
ognize that  anything  which  interferes  with  peace  —  a  war  or  a  rumor  of  war  —  throws  all 
business  into  confusion.  But  the  thing  to  which  I  wish  especially  to  call  attention  is  this. 
We  glorj-  in  the  ])osition  which  the  business  interests  in  this  count rj-  and  other  countries 
have  taken  on  this  great  movement;  but  I  want  to  make  this  one  point  —  that  in  keeping 
our  leadership  we  are  going  to  have  splendid  allies.    In  the  first  place,  we  will  have  with  us 


176  IXTERXATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

if  we  take  this  strong  position  all  the  labor  interests,  for  these  men  recognize  that  they  are 
the  greatest  sufferers  when  there  is  a  contest.  And  in  this  countr>'  I  am  verj'  glad  to  say  that 
we  have  on  our  side  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Last  Memorial  Day  1  spoke  before 
one  of  their  Posts,  and  I  never  had  a  more  interested  audience  than  those  men  who  had  fought 
through  the  great  Civil  War.  For  those  men  knew  that  General  Sherman  was  right  when 
he  said  "War  is  hell,"  and  they  did  not  wish  their  children  or  their  grandchildren  to 
suffer  what  they  suffered.  One  of  the  best  addresses  atMohonk  this  j-ear  was  made  by  one 
of  the  admirals  of  the  United  States  Navy.  Not  only  that,  but  we  have  with  us  the  schools 
and  the  colleges  and  the  universities  of  this  countrj*.  They  are  being  lined  up  back  of  this 
great  movement.  These  young  people  are  beginning  to  see  that  the  university  in  full  opera- 
tion is  as  much  a  matter  to  glory  in  as  a  war  ship,  and  it  will  live  forever,  while  the  war  ship 
will  be  on  the  scrap-heap  within  twenty  years.  And  not  only  that,  but  we  have  back  of  us  all 
the  great  movements  which  are  represented  by  Mr.  Ginn's  world  peace  movement,  and  also 
by  the  money  which  is  invested  under  Mr.  Carnegie.  We  have  the  World's  Student  Federa- 
tion, and  especially  in  these  recent  days  the  great  Christian  Endeavor  Union,  which  numbers 
79,000  societies  in  every  countr>'  represented  here,  with  four  millions  of  members,  and  these 
young  men  and  young  women  are  being  pledged  to  this  great  movement.  So  I  submit,  busi- 
ness men,  that  we  want  to  hold  the  right  of  the  line.  We  have  had  it  thus  far.  ^^'e  have  these 
great  allies.  But  let  us  take  a  strong  position  in  this  Congress.  Let  us  pass  some  resolutions 
of  this  kind  and  strike  a  note  that  will  be  heard  round  the  world.  We  have  got  through  the 
age  of  simple  toleration  and  competition;  we  have  come  to  co-operation.  Nationalism  is  a 
great  word,  but  there  is  a  greater  word  —  that  is,  internationalism.  We  learned  in  the  last 
generation  to  be  neighbors;  we  want  out  of  this  great  Congress  more  and  more  to  let  the 
world  know  that  we  are  brothers.     (Applause.) 

Mr.  Frank  D.  La  Lanne,  Philadelphia  Board  of  Trade,  President  National  Board  of  Trade, 
190G-1912 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Congress: 

Two  years  ago,  when  in  London,  I  had  the  honor  of  proposing  the  resolution  which  is 
now  before  you.  While  it  has  been  modified,  I  want  to  second  it  in  its  modification,  for  I 
think  the  resolution  before  the  Convention  to-day  is  ideal.  It  provides  for  the  settlement  of 
cases  between  nations,  and  it  provides  for  the  settlement  of  cases  between  individuals  and 
nations.  Nothing  could  be  more  ideal  than  this  proposition.  I  believe  if  the  business  men 
represented  here,  who  to  my  mind  represent  the  most  intelligent  set  of  merchants,  manufac- 
turers and  bankers  of  the  world,  will  go  out  with  a  decisive  apjjroval  of  this  resolution,  the 
nations  of  the  world,  the  diplomats  of  the  world,  will  bow  down  their  heads  in  respect  to  the 
decisions  of  this  powerful  Congress. 

I  have  verj-  little  to  say  except  to  endorse  these  resolutions.  But  after  offering  the  reso- 
lution in  London  two  years  ago,  I  was  delighted  to  see  that  my  friends  from  Germany  were 
highly  pleased  with  the  thought,  and  they  took  it  in  the  proper  spirit;  and  to-day  the  eloquent 
papers  that  have  been  read  show  the  progress  of  the  world  and  the  thought  of  an  arbitral 
court  of  justice.  It  is  not  necessarj',  if  that  court  is  created,  that  all  cases  shall,  nolens  volens, 
come  before  it.  Such  cases  as  two  nations  wish  to  have  settled  can  voluntarily  be  taken  to 
that  court.  It  is  not  neccssar>'  that  under  the  creation  of  such  a  tribunal  we  must  have  dis- 
armament, but  if  the  tribunal  is  created  the  result  will  be  in  the  future  the  gradual  disarma- 
ment of  the  nations,  for  it  will  be  cheaper,  it  will  be  more  honorable  to  tr>'  the  cases  before  aa 
arbitral  court  of  justice  than  it  will  be  to  fight  them  out  and  stand  after  the  fight  in  the  same 
unhappy  position  towards  each  other  as  before. 

Before  I  close  I  want  to  read  a  short  letter  from  Secretary  Knox  which  shows  the  views 
of  our  great  Secretary  of  State,  following  the  views  of  his  predecessors.  This  letter  he  writes 
me  on  April  26 : 

"I  sincerely  hope  that  a  resolution  at  the  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Com- 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  177 


morce  urging  the  establishment  of  a  permanent  arbitral  court  of  justice  will  be  passed,  and  I 
will  feel  ver>'  hopeful  when  such  a  happy  event  occurs"  —  and  he  adds  in  a  parenthesis  that 
he  has  had  from  his  identical  note  urging  this  thing  to  all  the  nations  of  the  world  very  favor- 
able replies  from  nearly  all. 

Gentlemen,  it  has  been  an  honor  to  be  here,  ami  before  we  adjourn  I  wish  to  say  that  I 
represent  the  committee  of  the  Allied  Hoards  of  Trade  and  Chambers  of  Commerce  of  my 
city,  Philadelphia.  It  is  a  great  plea.sure  to  be  told  that  your  itinerary  brings  you  to  Phila- 
delphia on  October  15  and  October  16.  There  we  want  to  show  you  our  industrial  establi.sh- 
ments,  and  we  want  to  show  you  that  while  we  are  a  peace-loving  city  of  Quakers,  we  have 
in  Philadelphia  the  greatest  shipyards  of  America.  The  New  York  shipyard  is  in  Philadel- 
phia, and  the  Cramps'.  We  want  to  show  you  that  we  can  drop  into  the  water  every  year  if 
necessarj-  in  Philadelphia  alone  eight  of  the  greatest  Dreadnaughts  in  the  two  shipbuilding 
establishments,  so  that  in  building  them  we  hope  that  we  are  only  creating  instruments  of 
peace. 

Following  our  invitation  to  Philadelphia  I  am  instructed  by  the  committee  to  say  that 
all  delegates  will  be  invited  to  my  house  in  the  country  to  dinner  on  the  evening  of  October 
16.  While  later  on  you  will  receive  formal  invitations,  which  are  now  being  printed,  I  take 
this  method  of  expressing  my  hope  that  you  will  all  be  with  me  in  my  country  home  the  eve- 
ning of  the  16th  to  dinner,  and  I  hope  j'ou  will  put  it  down  as  a  memorandum.    (Applause.) 

M.  le  President:  Je  reraercie  M.  La  Lannc  pour  la  contribution  qu'il  a  donnd-e  h.  la 
question  de  I'arbitrage,  contribution  qui  sera  vers6e,  comme  les  autres,  a  titre  de  document, 
pour  le  comitt^  permanent. 

Je  n'ai  plus  maintenant  qu'un  orateur  inscrit,  et  il  est  absent. 

Dans  ces  conditions,  messieurs,  le  nombre  des  orateurs  inscrits  6tant  dpuis^,  la  seconde 
question  h  I'ordre  du  jour  peut  6tre  consid(5r<5e  comme  termin6e.  Nous  avons  done  recueilli 
des  mat(:''riaux  pour  le  prochain  congrds,  aussi  bien,  de  nos  amis  d'ltalic,  au  point  de  vue  de 
I'arbitrage  entre  particuliers,  que  de  nos  amis  de  Boston  et  des  fitats-Unis,  au  point  de  vue 
de  I'arbitrage  vu  de  haut,  entre  nations. 

(Translation) 

I  thank  Mr.  La  Lanne  for  his  contribution  to  the  subject  of  arbitration  which  will 
be  handed  over,  like  the  others,  to  the  Permanent  Committee. 

There  is  but  one  -speaker  remaining  on  the  list,  and  he  is  absent. 

Under  these  conditions,  gentlemen,  I  consider  that  the  list  of  appointed  speakers 
is  exhausted  and  that  the  second  question  on  the  order  of  the  day  may  be  considered 
closed.  We  have,  then,  gathered  material  for  the  next  Congress,  —  from  our  friends 
from  Italy  on  the  point  of  view  of  arbitration  between  individuals,  and  from  our  friends 
from  Boston  and  the  United  States,  on  the  point  of  view  of  arbitration  on  a  broader 
scale,  between  nations. 


M.  Bernard  J.  Shoninger,  President  of  the  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris 

.le  Trains  qu'il  y  ait  malentendu.  Les  Am^ricains  et  les  Anglais  n'ont  pas  bien  compris 
si  lo  rongr^s  a  accept^,  .«elon  votre  jugement,  sculcment  la  premiere  re.solution  i)ropo.sc'e  par 
M.  Apt.  Est-ce  que  le  congres  demande  au  gouvemement  des  fitats-Unis  de  r<5unir  un  con- 
grC's  pour  decider  de  cette  quest  ion-U\  .seulement? 

{Translation) 

I  fear  there  is  a  mi.sunderstanding.  The  Americans  and  English  have  not  clearly 
understood  if  the  Congress  has  accepted,  according  to  your  judgment,  only  the  first 
resolution  proposed  by  Dr.  Apt.  Does  the  Congress  ask  the  government  of  the  United 
States  to  call  a  conference  to  decide  this  question  only? 


178  IXTERXATIOXAL    CONGRESS    OF  | 

M.  le  President:  Seulcment,  oui.  Je  vais  rappeler  en  quelques  mots,  messieurs,  ce 
qui  a  6i6  fait.  Le  second  objet  -X  I'ordre  du  jour  porte  exclusivement  sur  I'arbitragc  cntre 
"individuals  and  foreign  States,"  et  les  conclusions  de  M.  Apt  ont  6td  adoptees,  personne  n'a 
fait  d'objection  aux  conclusions  de  son  rapport.  Alors,  on  a  suggd-nJ  que,  peut-dtre,  —  parce 
qu'enfin  cela  depend  du  bon  vouloir  du  gouvemcment  —  que  peut-6tre  le  gouvemement  dea 
£tats-Unis  pourrait  prendre  I'initiativc  d'unc  conference  ii  ce  sujet.  Le  comit6  penuanent 
pourra  se  tenir  en  communication  avec  le  gouvemement  des  £tats-Unis  pour  savoir  si  tel  est 
son  bon  plaisir.    Nous  ne  pouvons,  naturellement,  pas  agir  autrement. 

Le  second  point,  c'cst  tout  simplement  une  motion  relative  a  voir  6tudier  r<5tablissement 
de  I'arbitrage  entre  particuliers.  Ce  second  point  n'd'tait  pas  h  I'ordre  du  jour.  J'ai  laissd; 
ddvelopper  la  question  afin  que  cela  constitue  des  mat(?riaux  pour  le  prochain  congrfes.  LftV 
question  sera  port6e  devant  le  comit6  permanent,  qui,  d'ici  la,  ras-semblera  des  mat^riaim 
nouveaux,  et  la  question  viendra  alors,  complete,  avec  rapporteur,  devant  le  prochain  congr^ 

Et  enfin,  la  demiere  motion,  relative  a  I'arbitrage  vu  de  haut,  sera  dgalement  port<5e  au 
comitc  permanent,  qui  verra  quelle  suite  pratique  on  pcut  lui  donner. 

Le  congr^s  a  done  vot6  une  resolution  sur  les  conclusions  de  M.  Apt,  et  il  a  pris  la  mcil- 
leure  note,  avec  la  meilleure  attention,  des  deux  motions  deposees,  aussi  bien  pour  I'arbitrage 
entre  particuliers  que  pour  I'arbitrage  en  g6n6ral. 

(Translation) 

This  question  only,  j-es.  I  will  sum  up,  gentlemen,  in  a  few  words  what  has  been 
done.  The  second  topic  on  the  order  of  the  day  bears  exclusively  on  arbitration  between 
"individuals  and  foreign  States,"  and  the  conclusions  of  Dr.  Apt  have  been  adopted,  no- 
body having  objected  to  the  conclusions  of  his  report.  Then  it  was  suggested  —  perhaps 
because,  after  all,  it  depends  on  the  good  will  of  the  government —  that  perhaps  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  might  take  the  initiative  with  regard  to  a  conference 
on  this  subject.  The  Permanent  Committee  will  enter  into  communication  with  the  Gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  to  ascertain  if  this  course  will  be  agreeable  to  it.  We  can- 
not, manifestly,  proceed  in  any  other  manner. 

As  to  the  second  point,  it  is  simply  a  motion  relative  to  an  investigation  of  the 
establishment  of  arbitration  between  individuals.  This  second  point  is  not  on  the 
order  of  the  day.  I  have  permitted  the  question  to  be  discussed  in  order  that  it  might 
afford  material  for  the  next  Congress.  The  question  will  be  referred  to  the  Permanent 
Committee,  which  from  now  till  then  will  be  gathering  new  material,  and  the  question 
will  then  come,  complete,  after  consideration  by  a  Reporter,  before  the  next  Congress. 

Finally,  the  la.st  motion,  relative  to  arbitration  from  a  higher  point  of  view,  will  Uke- 
wise  be  laid  before  the  Permanent  Committee,  which  will  decide  what  practical  form  can 
be  given  to  it. 

The  Congress  has,  then,  voted  a  resolution  on  Mr.  Apt's  conclusions,  and  it  has 
given  the  most  careful  consideration,  with  the  best  attention,  to  the  two  motions  offered, 
as  well  for  arbitration  between  individuals  as  for  arbitration  in  general. 

M.  Shoninger:  Si  vous  voulez  me  permettre,  je  vais  dire  quelques  mots  en  anglais. 

{Translation) 

If  I  am  allowed,  I  will  say  a  few  words  in  English. 

M.  le  President:  Certainement. 

(Translation) 

Certainly. 

Mr.  Shoninger:  There  seems  to  have  been  a  misunderstanding.  When  the  motion  was 
made  by  the  honorable  President,  the  fellow  members  here,  who  do  not  speak  French,  some 
of  them,  supposed  that  that  was  merely  an  explanation  of  the  position  that  had  been  taken 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  179 

by  some  of  the  speakers  to  draw  the  line  between  the  argument  that  had  been  proposed  and 
BO  ably  presented  by  Dr.  Apt,  and  the  arguments  that  have  also  been  proposed  additionally 
to  tills. 

M.  le  President:  II  faut  fairc  une  distinction  entre  le  rapport  dc  M.  Apt,  rapporteur, 
rapport  dtudid,  complet,  et  les  motions,  ^loquentes,  qui  nous  ont  6t6  pr6sent(5es  ici  ex  abrupto. 

(Translation) 

One  must  draw  a  distinction  between  the  report  of  Mr.  Apt,  the  Reporter,  a  studied 
and  complete  report,  and  the  eloquent  motions  which  have  been  presented  here  ex 
abrupto. 

Mr.  Shoninger:  I  concede  that,  yes;  but  we  did  not  suppose  that  we  were  coming  here 
only  to  listen  to  discussion  and  adojjt,  without  opportunity  to  make  an  amendment,  in  the 
form  of  addition  or  otherwise,  something  we  had  read  a  few  weeks  ago.  What  would  be  the 
object  of  coming  here  thousands  of  miles  if  we  could  not,  by  some  slight  amendment,  perfect 
the  resolution  we  were  considering?  Remember,  there  is  no  one  that  is  opposing  the  resolu- 
tion of  Dr.  Apt;  we  are  all  in  favor  of  it,  but  many  of  us  think  that  that  is  impo.ssible  of  reali- 
zation, while  we  all  think  that  by  enlarging  the  scope  and  by  inviting  the  Government  of  the 
United  States,  of  which  we  are  the  guests  to-day,  to  enlarge  the  sphere  of  the  inquirj-,  we 
would  be  really  placing  this  Congress  in  the  position  that  we  intended  to  have  it  place  itself 
—  that  is,  to  invite  the  United  States  Government  to  take  the  initiative  in  asking  other  gov- 
ernments to  a  conference  which  shall  have  for  its  object  the  establishment  of  a  tribunal  of 
justice  for  commercial  disputes  between  individuals  or  corporations  belonging  to  different 
nations,  and  not  alone  the  question  on  the  order  of  the  day,  which  we  consider  of  far  less 
importance,  because  it  is  not  so  customarj',  for  there  is  one  case  of  that  kind  to  millions  of 
the  other.  That  is,  there  is  perhaps  one  case  of  commercial  dispute  between  an  individual 
and  a  foreign  government  against  a  million  disputes  between  individuals  residing  in  different 
coimtries.  Therefore  I  say  there  has  been  a  misunderstanding  here,  and  since  the  question 
has  just  come  up  we  would  like  to  know  now  whether  in  the  future  procedure  of  this  Congress 
we  are  only  going  to  be  allowed  to  vote  on  questions  as  they  are  put  in  the  program,  or  whether 
any  amendments  or  corrections  or  differences  of  opinion  would  be  allowed  to  prevail.  That 
is  a  question  that  we  want  to  have  cleared  up  now.     {Applause;  "Hear,  hear!") 

M.  le  F*resident:  Je  ne  puis  que  vous  r(5p(5ter  ce  que  j'ai  dit.  Nous  avons  vot<5  les  con- 
clusions de  M.  Apt.  Ce  que  vous  dites  en  ce  moment  n'est  pas  un  amendement,  c'est  une 
autre  question,  et  cette  autre  question  n'est  pas  ^  I'ordre  du  jour.  Je  ne  puis  ainsi  pas  vous 
demander  de  prendre  une  resolution  sur  une  question  qui  n'est  pas  h  I'ordre  du  jour. 

{Translation) 

I  can  only  repeat  what  I  have  already  said:  we  have  voted  in  favor  of  Mr.  Apt's 
conclusions.  What  you  now  state  is  not  an  amendment,  it  is  another  question,  and 
this  other  question  is  not  on  the  order  of  the  day.  I  cannot,  therefore,  ask  you  to  pass 
a  resolution  on  a  question  which  is  not  on  the  order  of  the  day. 

M.  Shoninger:  Nous  consid(?rons  que  c'est  la  mdme  question  <51argie,  et  qui  a  plus  do 
chance  d'etre  r<?alisee. 

{Translation) 

We  consider  that  it  is  the  same  question,  enlarged,  and  with  more  chance  of 
realization. 

M.  le  President:  Je  ne  vous  dis  pas  non;  je  dois  cependant,  logiquement,  m'en  tenir  k 
I'ordre  du  jour. 

(Translation) 

I  would  not  contradict  that;  I  must,  however,  adhere  to  the  order  of  the  day. 


180  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

M.  Shoninger:  Mais  c'est  la  mfime. 

(Translation) 

But  it  is  the  same  thing. 

M.  le  President:  Je  dis  que,  moi,  qui  conduis  les  d<?hW>rations  en  ce  moment,  je  dois 
vous  faire  dchb(^Ter  sur  cette  question  et  non  pas  sur  une  autre.  Vous  avez  d»^'hb(5r6  sur  la 
premiere  question,  nous  sommes  d'accord.    Vous  voudriez  main  tenant  ^largir  .  .  . 

(Translation) 

I  consider  that  in  conducting  the  meeting  at  the  present  time  I  must  oblige  you 
to  deliberate  on  this  question  and  not  on  another.  You  have  acted  on  the  first  ques- 
tion, wo  arc  agreed.    Now  you  wi-^^h  to  amplify  .  .  . 

M.  Shoninger:  Nous  ne  sommes  pas  d'accord. 

(Translatioji) 

But  we  are  not  agreed. 

M.  le  President:  Vous  n'etes  pas  d'accord  sur  les  conclusions  de  M.  Apt? 

(Translation) 

You  are  not  agreed  on  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Apt? 

M.  Shoninger:  Non,  parce  qu'il  ne  va  pas  assez  loin. 

(Translation) 

No,  because  it  does  not  go  far  enough.  ., 

M.  le  President:  Pardon.  Vous  pouvez  toujours  dire  que,  pour  ce  qu'il  a  dit,  vous 
6tes  d'accord.  Nous  nous  sommes  occupfe  de  la  question  des  litiges  cntre  particuliers  et 
fitats,  qui  6tait  t  I'ordre  du  jour,  et  pas  autre  chose;  il  n'y  a  pas  a  allcr  plus  loin,  et  dana 
I'esp^ce  je  considere  la  chose  acquise.  Vous  avez  entendu  les  conclusions  de  M.  Apt  et  il  n'y 
a  pas  eu  d'observation;  je  considere  done  que,  jusque-1^,  nous  sommes  d'accord. 

(Translation) 

Excuse  me.  You  can  in  any  event  say  that  as  far  as  what  he  has  stated  goes,  you 
are  agreed.  We  have  been  considering  the  question  of  litigation  between  individuals 
and  States,  which  was  on  the  order  of  the  day,  and  nothing  else;  there  was  no  occasion 
to  go  further,  and  under  the  circumstances  I  consider  the  matter  closed.  You  have 
heard  the  conclusions  of  Mr.  Apt,  and  no  comments  were  made;  I  therefore  consider 

that  up  to  that  point  we  are  agreed.  ] 

I 

M.  Shoninger:  Jusque-lil,  oui;  mais  attendez  ... 

(Translation) 

Up  to  that,  yes;  but  wait  .  .  . 

M.  le  President:  Bon,  nous  voili  done  d'accord.  Mais  vous  demandcz  d'aller  plus 
loin.  J'aurai.s  pu,  des  le  d^but,  dire:  non,  la  question  n'est  pas  :\  I'ordre  du  jour.  Je  n'ai  i 
pas  voulu  le  faire,  parce  que  j'ai  trouvi'  tres  int(!>ressant  d'avoir  les  motions  que  nous  avons  ) 
eues,  aussi  bien  pour  I'arbitrago  cntre  particuliers  que  pour  I'arbitragc  en  general,  et  je  vous  1 
ai  dit:  nous  accueillons  ces  motions  avcc  la  jilus  grande  favour;  nous  les  verserons  conime  i 
document  au  comit<5  permanent,  lequel  les  mottra  iV  I'ordre  du  jour  d'un  prochain  congres.  ' 
Je  ne  pouvais  rien  faire  autre  chose. 

Vous  no  pouvez  pas,  messieurs,  prendre,  ii  pied  lcv6,  une  d(?cision  sans  avoir  dtudie  la 
question.    Jusqu'il  pr6sent,  dans  nos  travaux  de  congrds,  nous  avons  toujours  procddd  aveo 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  181 

ordre  et  m^thode;  Ics  questions  ont  6t6  mtlries,  ellcs  ont  6i6  6tudi6es,  et  c'cst  sur  les  conclu- 
sions de  CCS  rapports  que  le  congrds  s'est  decide.  Je  ne  peux  pas  faire  autrement.  {Applau- 
dissements.) 

(Translation) 

Good,  we  are  therefore  agreed.  But  you  wish  to  go  still  further.  I  might  have 
said  from  the  outset  that  the  question  was  not  on  the  order  of  the  day.  I  did  not 
wish  to  do  so,  because  I  have  found  the  motions  which  we  have  heard  most  interesting, 
both  those  for  arbitration  between  individuals  as  well  a.s  for  arbitration  in  general, 
and  I  have  stated  that  we  would  gladly  listen  to  these  motions,  but  would  collect  them 
in  the  forms  of  documents  for  the  Permanent  Committee,  which  would  place  them  on 
the  order  of  the  day  for  the  next  Congress.    I  could  do  nothing  else. 

You  cannot,  gentlemen,  adopt  a  decision  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  without 
having  studied  the  question.  Up  to  the  present,  in  the  work  of  our  Congress,  we  have 
alwaj's  proceeded  in  an  orderly  and  methodical  manner;  the  questions  have  been  studied 
and  deliberated  on,  reports  have  been  presented,  and  it  is  on  the  conclusions  of  such  re- 
ports that  the  Congress  has  acted.    I  cannot  do  otherwise.     (Applause.) 

M.  Shoninger:  Je  ne  veux  pas  abuser  de  votre  temps. 

(Translatian) 

I  do  not  wish  to  waste  your  time. 

M.  le  President:  Je  desire  une  chose,  c'est  dviter  tout  mal  entendu.  J'esp^re  qu'il  n'y 
en  a  plus. 

(Translation) 

One  thing  I  desire  above  all,  to  avoid  all  misunderstanding.  I  hope  that  there 
will  be  no  more. 

M.  Shoninger:  Qui,  il  y  en  a  tou jours,  parce  que  si  on  avait  dit,  d^s  le  commencement: 
11  faut  voter  oui  ou  non  sur  la  proposition  telle  qu'elle  est  port^e  k  I'ordre  du  jour,  et  il  t'y 
aura  pas  d'amendement  .  .  . 

(Translation) 

Yes,  there  is  always  likely  to  be,  for,  if  it  had  been  stated  at  the  beginning  that  we 
must  vote  yes  or  no  on  the  proposition  as  it  is  laid  down  in  the  order  of  the  day  and  no 
amendment  will  be  allowed  .  .  . 

M.  le  President:  Je  vous  demande  pardon,  ce  n'est  pas  un  amendement,  c'est  une 
autre  proposition. 

(Translation) 

I  beg  your  pardon;  this  is  not  an  amendment,  this  is  another  proposition. 

M.  Shoninger:  Nous  aurions  peut-4tre  vot^  autrement  si  vous  aviez  poa6  la  question  de 
cette  fa<^on. 

(Translation) 

We  might  have  voted  otherwise  if  you  had  put  the  question  in  that  manner. 

M.  le  President:  Monsieur,  nous  ne  sommcs  pas  d'accord.  Un  amendement,  dans 
toutes  les  discussions,  c'est  une  modification  h  une  proposition  d(f'pos<5e.  Dana  Tcspece,  votre 
proposition  est  une  proposition  nouvelle.  Nous  discutons  la  question  des  diff^rends  entre 
particuliers  et  fitats,  pas  autre  chose;  vous  vcnez  maintenant  nous  demander  d'adopter  des 
resolutions  sur  la  question  des  diff^rends  entre  particuliers.  Ceci  est  une  chose  absolument 
difTt:  rente. 


182  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

(Translation) 

We  do  not  agree.  An  amendment  in  all  debates  is  a  modification  of  a  stated  prop- 
osition. In  the  present  case  your  proposition  is  a  new  prop)osition.  We  were  discussing 
the  question  of  suits  between  individuals  and  States  and  nothing  else;  you  now  request 
us  to  adopt  resolutions  on  the  question  of  disputes  between  indi\-iduals.  This  is  an 
entirely  different  thing. 

M.  Shoninger:  Vous  allez  plus  loin;  vous  demandez  que  nous,  Amdricains,  demandioM 
k  notre  gouvemement  d'inviter  les  autres  gouvemements  k  discuter  ime  question  qui  est,  k 
notre  avis,  trop  limit^;  et  c'est  cela  que  nous  ne  voulons  pas  adopter;  nous  voulons  alle» 
plus  loin. 

(Translation) 

You  go  even  further;  you  ask  us,  Americans,  to  petition  our  government  to  invito 
other  goverrmaents  to  discuss  a  question  which,  in  our  opinion,  is  too  limited,  and  it  is 
this  which  we  do  not  wish  to  adopt.    We  wish  to  go  further. 

M.  le  President:  Je  ne  demande  pas  mieux  que  d'aller  plus  loin  avec  vous,  je  suis  avec 
vous  la  main  dans  la  main,  quand  la  question  sera  ^tudiee;  mais  la  question  des  litiges  entre 
particuliers  n'est  pas  ^tudiee. 

(Translation) 

I  would  ask  nothing  better  than  to  go  further  with  you,  I  am  with  you  hand  in 
hand  after  the  question  has  been  studied;  but  the  question  of  suits  between  indi\idua]fl 
has  not  been  studied. 


M.  Shoninger:  Par  qui? 

(Translation) 

By  whom? 

M.  le  President:  Par  nous.    Au  prochain  congres,  vous  aurez  un  rapport  complet. 

(Translation) 

By  us.    At  the  next  Congress  we  ^^tU  have  a  complete  report. 


^ 


M.  Shoninger:  Nous  avons  re^u  ces  rapports  il  y  a  cinq  ou  six  semaines,  et  nous  lea 
avons  etudies. 

(Translation) 

We  have  received  these  reports  some  five  or  six  weeks  ago  and  we  have  studied 
them. 

M.  le  I*resident:  Vous  n'avez  pas  re^u  un  rapport  sur  les  diffdrends  entre  particuliers: 
il  n'y  en  avail  pas,  la  question  n'dtait  pas  k  I'ordre  du  jour. 

Enfin,  monsieur,  il  me  semble  que  c'est  bien  simple.  Vous  dites:  nous  voulons  aller  pliM 
loin.  Moi  aussi,  moi,  personnellement ;  mais  moi,  president  du  congres,  je  ne  peux  pas  aller 
plus  loin  aujourd'hui.    II  faut  de  I'ordre  et  de  la  mdthode. 

(Translation) 

You  have  not  received  a  report  regarding  suits  between  indiWduals;  there  wa« 
none.    The  question  was  not  on  the  order  of  the  day. 

Finally,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  case  is  ver>-  simple.  You  say,  we  wish  to  go  further 
and  so  say  I  also.  That  is,  personal!}'.  But,  as  President  of  the  Congress  I  cannot  go 
further  to-day.     We  must  have  order  and  method. 


il 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  183 

M.  Shoninger:  Peut-^tre  que  M.  Apt  acceptera  ramendement.     {Applaudissemenls.) 

(Translation) 

Perhaps  Mr.  Apt  will  accept  the  amendment.    (Applause.) 

B  M.  le  President:  Ce  n'est  pas  un  amendement.  Je  vous  en  prie,  agissons  avec  ordre 
et  m^'thode.  Soyez  assur6  dc  toute  notre  bonne  volonte.  Comme  vous,  je  veux  aller  plus 
loin,  mais  ce  ne  sera  pas  aujourd'hui.    Step  by  step. 

Maintenant,  I'invitation  aux  Ctats-Unis  de  convoquer  une  conference,  c'est  une  id6e  que 
M.  Apt  a  euc.  Ce  seront  Ics  fitats-Unis  ou  ce  sera  un  autre  fitat;  mais  ce  n'est  pas  parce  que 
vos  compatriotes  d'Am^rique  voudraient  aller  plus  loin  qu'ils  devraient  s'opposer  h  la  premidre 
mesure  sur  laquelle  nous  sommes  d'accord.  Ce  sera  le  gouvemement  des  £tats-Unis  ou  un 
autre.    Laissez  la  question  telle  qu'elle  est;  elle  est  bien  pos6e,  mdthodiquement  pos<5e. 

Je  pense  qu'il  n'y  a  plus  de  malentendu.  Nous  avons  nettement  ddlib^rd  sur  une  question 
k  I'ordrc  du  jour,  avec  un  rapport  fait  et  obsen-ations  faites.  Xous  avons  accueilli  avec  la 
plus  grande  faveur,  je  le  repdte,  les  obsers'ations  qui  nous  ont  6i6  faites  en  dehors  de  la  ques- 
tion i  I'ordre  du  jour.  J'aurais  pu  empecher  cette  discussion;  je  ne  I'ai  pa.s  voulu,  et  j'ai 
meme  tenu,  sur  la  question  d'arbitrage  international,  k  laL^er  parler  nos  amis  de  Bo.'^ton  avec 
toute  I'ampleur  qu'ils  ont  voulu.  Ce  sont  d'ailleurs  des  personnalit<5s  importantes,  a  qui  je 
Buis  heureux  de  rendre  personnellcment  honmiage. 

Je  pense  done,  messieurs,  qu'il  n'y  a  pas  de  malentendu  et  que  vous  pouvez  parfaite- 
ment  adopter  la  besogne  telle  qu'elle  a  6t^  faite  aujourd'hui. 

(Translation) 

It  is  not  an  amendment.  I  beg  of  you  proceed  with  order  and  method.  Be  assured 
of  our  best  wishes.  Like  yourself  I  would  like  to  go  further  but  we  cannot  do  so  to-day. 
"Step  by  step." 

Now  the  invitation  to  the  United  States  to  convoke  a  conference  is  one  of  Mr. 
Apt's  ideas.  It  might  be  the  United  States  or  it  might  be  another  countr>';  but  your 
American  compatriots  should  not  oppose  the  first  measure,  on  which  we  are  agreed, 
becau.se  they  happen  to  desire  to  go  still  further.  It  might  be  the  government  of  the 
United  States  or  some  other.  Let  the  question  be  a.s  it  is.  It  is  properly  put,  methodi- 
caUy  put. 

I  do  not  think  there  is  any  further  misunderstanding.  We  have  carefully  debated 
on  the  question  on  the  order  of  the  day.  A  report  was  made  and  comments  heard.  We 
have  heard  with  the  greatest  favor,  as  I  said  before,  the  remarks  which  were  made  be- 
yond the  question  on  the  order  of  the  day.  I  could  have  prevented  this  discussion.  I 
did  not  wLsh  to  do  so  and  I  have  even  encouraged  our  Boston  friends  to  speak  on  the 
question  of  international  arbitration.  They  are,  moreover,  persons  of  consequence  to 
whom  I  am  glad  to  pay  my  respects. 

I  think,  therefore,  gentlemen,  that  there  is  no  misunderstanding  and  that  you  can 
perfectly  well  accept  the  proceeding  as  carried  out  to-day. 

Mr.  William  J.  Thomas,  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris:  Mr.  President,  may 
I  a.sk  one  question?  Are  we  to  understand  your  ruling  to  mean  that  should  we  desire  to 
offer  an  amendment  to  any  of  the  propositions  here  discussed  it  will  not  be  in  order  to 
bring  that  forward  and  to  vote  on  the  question?  Suppose  we  have  an  amendment  to  pro- 
pose, will  it  be  in  order  to  do  so  and  to  have  the  question  put  up  to  the  meeting? 

M.  le  I*resident:  Un  amendement  pent  toujours  etre  admis;  mais  ce  dont  vous  parlez 
n'est  pas  amendement,  c'est  une  autre  question.  Je  pense  que  vous  pouvez  vous  en  rapporter 
k  toute  notre  bonne  volont^  et  k  la  m^thode  que  nous  apportons  dans  tous  ces  travaux. 

Si  personne  ne  demande  plus  la  parole,  je  declare  la  stance  lev6e.  R<5imion  demain  k 
dix  heures.    Je  dois  vous  informer  que,  k  la  demande  de  I'un  des  orateurs  qui  dfeire  prendre 


184  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

la  parole  sur  la  quatri^me  question,  relative  aux  T^formoa  postales,  cette  question,  au  lieu  de 
venir  demain,  sera  remise  ii  jeudi.  II  y  aura  done  une  interversion  entre  les  questions  a  I'or- 
dre  du  jour. 

La  stance  est  lev6e. 

(Translation) 

An  amendment  is  always  admissible.  But  what  you  are  speaking  of  is  not  an 
amendment;  it  is  another  question.  I  think  you  can  yourself  bear  witness  to  all  our 
good  feeling  and  the  method  which  we  follow  in  all  our  proceedings. 

If  no  one  wishes  to  speak  further  I  declare  the  se.ssion  adjourned  to  meet  to- 
morrow at  10  o'clock.  I  ought  to  inform  you  that,  at  the  request  of  one  of  the  speakers 
who  wishes  to  take  the  floor  on  the  fourth  question,  with  reference  to  postal  reforms, 
that  question,  instead  of  coming  up  to-morrow,  will  be  postponed  to  Thursday.  There 
will  thus  be  a  change  of  order  in  the  question  on  the  order  of  the  day. 

The  session  is  adjourned. 

Adjourned  at  5  p.m.,  to  meet  on  Wednesday,  September  25,  at  10  a.m. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  185 


The  session  was  called  to  order  at  10. OS  a.m.,  September  25,  1912,  President  Louis 
Canon-Legr.^nd  in  the  chair.  At  the  desk,  General  Secretary  IiImile  Jottrand,  Dr.  Max 
Apt  and  Mr.  Edward  A.  Filene. 

President  Canon-Legrand 

Je  donne  la  parole  il  M.  le  vice-pr(5.*5ident  Filene,  pour  qu'il  explique  aux  Am<5ricain.s  la 
fa^on  exacte  dont  nous  proc<5dons  dans  les  travaux  du  Congress,  afin  d'6viter  les  petita  malen- 
tendus  comma  ceux  qui  se  sont  produits  hier.     M.  Filene  a  la  parole. 

{Translation) 

I  give  the  floor  to  Vice-President  Filene,  who  will  explain  to  the  Americans  the  exact 
way  we  proceed  in  the  work  of  the  Congress,  so  as  to  avoid  such  little  misunderstandings 
as  have  occurred  yesterday.    Mr.  Filene  has  the  floor. 

Mr.  Edward  A.  Filene,  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce;  Vice-President  of  the  Congress 

Mr.  President: 

I  am  going  to  try  to  explain  verj'  briefly  once  more  just  what  the  question  at  issue  last 
night  was.  On  the  program  of  the  session  we  had  a  question  which  was  the  first  question 
presented  by  Dr.  Apt  yesterday,  "Arbitration  between  Individuals  and  Foreign  Nations." 
Through  the  courtesy  of  the  officers  of  this  Congress  an  opportunity  was  given  to  present  two 
other  questions  of  arbitration.  I  say  the  courtesy  of  the  officers,  because  it  is  an  unwritten 
law  established  in  each  of  the  conventions  so  far  held  —  established  as  a  matter  of  common 
sense  and  self-preser\'ation  —  that  no  question  shall  be  acted  upon  except  such  as  have  been 
placed  upon  the  program  after  consideration  by  the  Permanent  Coromittee.  This  rule  is 
one  which  I  think  is  backed  up  and  will  be  backed  up  by  all  of  us  as  we  go  from  one  Congress 
to  another,  for  we  realize  that  these  Congresses  cannot  continue  to  be  successful  if  questions 
which  have  not  been  considered  and  studied  are  acted  upon  hastily.  Not  only  will  the  semi- 
official representatives  from  different  countries  cease  coming  to  these  Congresses,  but  I  think 
that  none  of  us  who  are  members  of  chambers  of  commerce  which  are  not  semi-official  will 
want  to  go  to  Congresses  where  we  may  be  involved  in  votes  on  large  questions  which  our  own 
chambers  have  not  had  time  to  consider  and  to  in.struct  us  as  to  their  attitude.  I  say,  by  the 
courtesy  of  the  officers,  two  other  questions  were  allowed  to  be  discussed,  with  the  understand- 
ing stated  in  advance  that  they  were  not  to  be  voted  upon.  The  first  of  those  two  questions 
was  presented  by  Signer  Pozzi,  who  advocated  arbitration  between  individuals  of  different 
countries.  The  third  was  presented  by  Mr.  Etlwin  D.  Mead,  who  offered  a  resolution  jvsking 
for  arbitration  between  the  different  nations  of  the  world.  Mr.  Bernard  J.  Shoninger,  presi- 
dent of  the  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris,  and  my  friend,  with  his  well-known 
leal  for  the  good  things  for  the  commercial  men  of  the  world  which  has  placed  him  in  the 
forefront  of  the  American  Chamber  of  Paris,  desired  that  the  first  question,  which  hat!  al- 
ready been  passed  on  and  voted  on  affirmatively,  should  be  amended,  and  our  President,  M. 
Canon-Lcgrand,  while  saying  that  he  was  personally  in  favor  of  the  extension  of  arbitration 
between  individuals  of  different  nations,  said  that  he  w;is  compelled  to  rule  that  that  was  not 
an  amendment,  but  a  new  question,  which  would  have  to  be  sent  back  to  the  Permanent 
Committee  and  studied,  to  be  presented  at  the  next  Congress. 

Now,  it  undoubtedly  seemed  to  Mr.  Shoninger  and  others  that  our  President's  ruling 
was  perhaps  a  bit  arbitrary.    As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  not  our  President's  ruling,  because 


186  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

the  question  had  already  been  decided  by  the  Permanent  Committee  at  Paris,  and  in  this 
fashion.  We  of  America  and  Boston  presented  in  London  two  years  ago  the  question  of  ar- 
bitration between  nations,  and  we  expected  and  hoped  that  it  would  be  presented  at  this 
Congress  for  vote.  The  Permanent  Committee,  meeting  in  Europe  this  spring,  decided  that 
in  their  judgment  another  question  ought  to  take  precedence  as  leading  up,  perhaps,  to  this 
question  in  the  future.  Thoy  decided  that  the  question  presented  by  Dr.  Apt,  arbitration 
between  individuals  and  foreign  nations,  should  be  the  one  question  on  the  program  of  this 
Congress.  By  that  decision  they  made  the  distinction  between  other  tj-pcs  of  arbitrations, 
whether  it  be  between  individuals  of  different  nations  or  between  different  nations  them- 
selves. And  so  our  President  simply  confirmed  what  the  Permanent  Committee  had  already 
carefully  gone  over.  I  need  not  say  to  you  that  we  Americans  were  disappointed  at  that 
result.  But  we  saw  that  if  these  Congresses  are  to  continue  we  must  help  to  so  adjust  the 
proceedings  that  they  will  more  and  more  bring  the  important  business  men  of  all  nations 
really  together  in  this  consultation.  For  finally,  gentlemen,  what  we  are  first  after,  what  we 
must  first  get,  is  international  understanding,  and  through  that  we  hope  to  go  on  to  inter- 
national agreements. 

M.  le  President:  En  ou%Tant  la  stance,  j'ai  h  vous  donner  connaissance  de  t(?l(?gramme8 
de  felicitations  rc^us.  Nous  avons  re^u  des  tcldgrammes  de  f^hcitations  de  Pera  (Constan- 
tinople), de  Norvege,  de  la  Suisse,  de  Czemowitz,  de  Diisseldorf,  de  Christiania,  de  Buda- 
pest, de  Londres  et  de  Milan. 

M.  Shoninger  demande  la  parole  pour  une  question  d'ordre. 

(^Translation) 

In  opening  the  session,  I  must  make  you  acquainted  with  the  telegrams  of  con- 
gratulations which  we  have  received.  We  have  received  telegrams  of  congratulations 
from  Pera  (Constantinople),  from  Norway,  from  Switzerland,  from  Czemowitz,  from 
Diisseldorf,  from  Christiania,  from  Budapest,  from  London  and  from  Milan. 

Mr.  Shoninger  requests  the  floor  for  a  question  of  order. 


Mr.  Bernard  J.  Shoninger,  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris 

Mr.  President: 

Perhaps,  as  our  distinguished  Vice-President  has  spoken  in  English,  it  will  be  better  for 
me  to  make  a  brief  explanation  in  English.  The  misunderstanding  yesterday  arose  from  two 
causes,  —  first,  because  the  majority  of  the  delegates  here  had  not  been  told  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Congress,  the  opening  session  yesterday,  that,  in  order  to  make  amendments  or 
to  propose  amendments  to  or  corrections  of  any  of  tlie  eight  orders  of  the  day  that  were  on 
the  program,  the  matter  would  have  to  go  back  to  the  Permanent  Committee  to  be  reported 
at  a  future  conference.  If  that  had  been  told  us  at  the  very  beginning,  or  if  we  had  received 
written  notice  to  that  effect  at  the  same  time  that  we  received  the  various  pamphlets  con- 
taining the  vcr>'  able  reports  of  the  different  Reporters,  all  this  misunderstanding  would  have 
been  avoided. 

That  was  the  first  cause.  The  second  was,  that  the  majority,  of  which  I  was  one  —  and 
I  understand  l''rcnch  thoroughly  —  did  not  hear  the  jirojiosition  when  it  was  put  to  a  vote 
by  our  honoralile  President.  Therefore,  we  did  not  know  that  the  proposition,  as  proposed 
by  Dr.  Apt,  had  actually  been  carried  and  voted  for  unanimously,  because  the  majority  of 
Americans  —  and,  I  dare  say,  a  number  of  others  —  would  perhaps  have  said,  if  I  might 
use  language  perhaps  a  little  bit  common  in  this  particular  instance,  we  are  beginning  with 
the  tail  of  the  dog  instead  of  with  the  dog  itself  {laugh(er),  and  the  dog,  even  for  one  of  that 
particular  breed,  is  a  vcrj-  short  tailed  one  at  that.     (Loughtcr.) 

So  I  think  I  am  merely  voicing  the  sentiments  of  those  who  did  not  quite  understand 
the  customs  of  these  Congresses,  as  we  have  now  been  told,  in  speaking  as  I  do  at  this  time. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  187 

The  misunderstanding  arose  through  failure  to  explain,  and  also  through  failure  to  hear  the 
decision  as  put  by  the  President  yesterday  in  connection  with  the  vote. 

We  are  all  here  for  a  single  purpose.  Delegates  from  all  countries  have  one  idea  in  view, 
and  that  is  to  facilitate  commercial  intercourse.  We  want  to  do  all  we  can;  we  have  but  one 
idea.  None  of  us  wish  to  put  any  obstacles  in  the  way.  I  would  be  the  vcrj-  last  person  in 
the  world  to  put  obstacles  in  the  way  of  good  achievement  by  this  Congress.  {"Good, 
good!"  and  applause.) 

Dr.  Soetbeer,  ''Der  Deutsche  Handelslag"  of  Berlin 

Meine  Ilerren! 

Wir  sind  mit  der  Stellungnahme  des  Herm  Priisidenten  einverstanden.  In  London 
wxirde  in  Aussicht  genommcn,  die  Frage  des  Schicdsgorichts  beim  niichsten  KongreC  zu  ver- 
handeln.  Es  wurde  aber  der  Wunsch  geiiuCert,  daC  wir  nur  solche  Fragen  behandeln,  iiber 
die  gute  Berichte  vorUcgen.  Als  das  ,, Comity  Permanent"  in  diesem  Sommer  iiber  diese  Frage 
verhandelte,  lag  kein  Bcricht  vor  iiber  die  Frage  des  Schiedsgerichts  im  allgemeinen.  Es  lag 
allerdings  ein  Bericht  vor  tiber  die  Frage  des  Schiedsgerichts  zwischen  Privaten  und  Staaten. 
Nach  einer  eingehenden  Di.skussion  im  ,,Comit(5  Permanent"  hat  man  unter  Berticksichti- 
gung  diescr  Sachlage  sich  dafiir  entschieden,  den  Gegenstand  unserer  Tagesordnung  .so  zu  be- 
schhinken,  wie  es  ge.schehen  ist.  Wir  konnen  und  konntcn  nicht  anders  als  einen  BeschluC 
fassen  lediglioh  iiber  den  Antrag  des  Herm  Dr.  Apt,  und  wir  haben  voUstiindig  verstanden, 
da  6  der  Pnisident  eine  Abstimmung  dariiber  herbeigefiihrt  und  das  Ergebnis  dieser  Abstim- 
mung  festgestellt  hat.     (Beifall.) 

(Translation) 

Gentlemen,  we  agree  with  the  position  taken  by  the  President.  The  intention 
was,  in  London,  to  consider  the  question  of  a  court  of  arbitration  at  the  following  Con- 
gress. The  desire  was,  however,  expressed  that  we  should  only  consider  questions  regard- 
ing which  proper  reports  were  presented.  Wlien  the  Permanent  Committee  handled 
the  question  this  summer,  no  communications  had  been  presented  regarding  the  gen- 
eral question  of  arbitration.  There  was  only  a  communication  regarding  the  question 
of  arbitration  between  individuals  and  States.  After  an  exhaustive  discussion  in  the 
committee,  it  was  decided,  in  view  of  the  circumstances,  to  restrict  the  subject  on  our 
order  of  the  day  in  the  manner  which  has  been  done.  We  cannot  and  could  not  do 
otherwise  than  pass  a  resolution  based  solely  on  the  conclusions  of  Dr.  Apt,  and  we 
have  entirely  understood  that  the  President  called  for  a  vote  thereon,  and  the  result 
of  the  vote  was  declared.     (Applause.) 

M.  le  I*resident:  Je  ne  voudrais  pas  rouvrir  la  discu.ssion,  nous  ne  devons  pas  la 
rouvrir.  11  ne  faut  pas  confondre  un  amendement  avec  une  proposition  nouvelle.  Je  dois 
tnaintenant  donner  la  parole  i  AL  Filene. 

Avant  de  commencer  pratiquement  nos  travaux  je  rapelle  ceci:  la  nomination  des  mem- 
bres  du  comit6  permanent  se  fait  par  les  delegu^s  des  divers  pays  au  Congrj^s. 

{Translation) 

I  would  not  like  to  reopen  the  discussion,  we  must  not  reopen  it.  An  amendment 
should  not  be  confounded  with  a  new  proposition.  I  must  now  give  the  floor  to  Mr. 
Filene. 

Before  entering  upon  the  practical  part  of  work  on  hand,  I  call  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  appointment  of  the  members  of  the  Permanent  Committee  is  affected  by 
the  delegates  of  the  various  countries  represented  at  the  Congress. 

M.  Ledoux:  Monsieur  le  president,  je  demande  la  parole  pour  une  question  d'ordre. 

{Translation) 

Mr.  President,  I  wish  to  raise  a  point  of  order. 


188  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

M.  le  President:   Pardon,  vous  n'avez  pas  la  parole. 

(Translation) 

Excuse  me,  you  have  not  got  the  floor. 

M.  Ledoux:   Alors,  je  vous  la  demande.    Question  d'ordre. 

(Translation) 

Then  I  ask  for  the  floor.    Point  of  order! 

M.  le  President:  Laisscz-moi,  monsieur;  je  suis  k  fairc  une  communication,  ct  je  voua 
prie  de  me  laisser  cont  inner. 

Je  dis  done,  messieurs,  que  les  membres  du  comit6  sont  d(!'sign(?s  par  les  d61(?gu(5s  au  Con- 
grks  des  difT<5rcnts  pays.  C'est-a-tlire  que  s'il  y  a  ici  des  d^k'gui^s  du  Br(?sil,  du  P<!!'rou,  de 
I'fiquateur,  ils  pcuvent  entre  eux  designer  un  d61(5gu6  au  comit6  permanent. 

Dans  les  pays  oCi  il  existe  une  F(!!'d6ration  Nationale  des  Chambres  de  commerce,  on  peut 
abandonner  h  cette  F6ddration  le  droit  d'61ection  pr6vu. 

Voili,  messieurs,  ce  que  je  d^sirais  vous  dire,  afin  que,  avant  la  fin  de  la  session,  d'ici 
demain,  ceux  d'entre  vous  qui  sont  venus  de  tons  les  pays  du  monde  au  pr6sent  Congr^ 
puissent,  avant  de  la  quitter,  avant  de  nous  quitter,  faire  leur  ddsignation  pour  les  d(51(?gu68 
au  comity  permanent.  Et  je  prie  M.  Filene  de  vouloir  bien,  dans  sa  langue,  vous  expUquer 
la  mSme  chose. 

(Translation) 

One  moment;  I  am  making  a  statement,  and  I  would  request  you  to  let  me 
continue. 

As  stated  before,  gentlemen,  the  members  of  the  Permanent  Committee  are  desig- 
nated by  the  delegates  of  the  various  countries  represented  at  the  Congress:  that  is  to 
say,  if  there  are  here,  for  instance,  delegates  from  Brazil,  from  Peru,  from  Ecuador, 
they  may  designate  amongst  themselves  a  delegate  to  the  Permanent  Committee. 

In  the  countries  where  there  exists  a  National  Federation  of  Chambers  of  Commerce, 
the  said  federation  may  be  conceded  the  right  of  election  provided  in  this  respect. 

This  I  wanted  to  tell  you  in  order  that  prior  to  the  termination  of  the  session, 
to-morrow,  those  amongst  you  who  have  come  from  all  parts  of  the  world  to  this 
Congress  may,  before  leaving  us,  designate  the  members  of  the  Permanent  Committee 
that  they  choose.    I  would  request  Mr.  Filene  to  explain  the  same  thing  in  English. 

Mr.  Filene:  Provision  seven  provides  that  the  effective  members  and  the  deputies  shall 
be  nominated  by  the  delegates  to  the  Congress  of  the  different  countries;  delegates  of  coun- 
tries having  a  National  Federation  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  or  of  industrial  and  commercial 
associations  may  abandon  the  right  of  nominating  members  of  the  Permanent  Committee  in 
favor  of  such  a  federation.  Members  of  the  Permanent  Committee  shall  e.xercise  the  man- 
date thus  conferred  upon  them  until  the  succeeding  Congress. 

The  whole  issue,  gentlemen,  is  this:  There  is  no  objection  and  can  be  no  objection  to,  and 
there  is  no  power  to  prevent  a  proper  amendment  of  any  question  before  this  Congress.  The 
only  issue  is  that  no  new  question  shall  be  thrust  upon  the  Congress  and  voted  u])on  before 
it  is  studied. 

Mr.  Urbain  J.  Ledoux,  Union  of  International  Associatio7i,  Brussels,  Bclgiutn:  Mr. 
Chairman,  please:  Has  the  previous  question  been  closed  by  the  Congress  itself  or  by  one 
man?  I  ask  whether  the  Congress  moves  or  does  not.  The  chairman  is  to  rule,  but  shall  the 
Congress  follow  him?  Our  principal  puqiose  in  holding  the  Congress  in  America  was  to 
insure  that  business  men  should  have  a  voice,  and  that  voice  was  towards  arbitration, 
peaceful  arbitration  of  disputes  between  nations.    I  have  just  returned  from  Europe,  and  I 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  189 

have  been  at  the  Fourth  Congress  at  London,  one  of  the  delegates  with  Mr.  Filene  and  Mr. 
Fahey  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce.  Our  principal  purpose  in  gohig  to  Europe 
was  to  secure  a  better  understanding  between  the  commercial  and  the  industrial  men  of 
the  Old  W'orkl  and  the  New.  But  our  main  pur])ose  was  to  secure  on  the  program  of  the 
Congress  the  inclusion  of  the  question  of  arbitration  between  nations,  and  that  ha.s  been 
sidetracked.  I  lusk  in  full  justice  to  all  the  delegates  of  Europe,  to  all  those  who  are  receiv- 
ing you,  the  members  of  the  Permanent  Committee,  that  in  some  way  this  may  not  be. 
There  is  a  question  there  that  was  discussed  before  your  Permanent  Committee  in  Paris, 
that  has  been  changed  from  the  arbitration  of  disputes  among  the  family  of  nations  to  dis- 
putes between  individuals.  And  we  are,  I  believe,  in  America  broad  enough  and  progres- 
sive enough  to  believe  that  we  can  differ  in  some  ways  in  our  opinions,  but  that  we  can  at  the 
present  moment  think  more  of  the  family  of  nations  than  of  the  individual  or  of  our  own 
personal  interests  in  business. 

Dr.  Soetbeer  {Berlin):  Der  Herr  Prilsident  hat  daran  erinnert,  daC  die  Wahlen  zum 
„Comite  Pennanent"  auf  zweierlei  Weise  vollfiihrt  werden  konnen,  namlich,  entweder  tn- 
dem  die  Angehorigen  einer  Nation  hier  unmittelbar  die  Wahlen  vomehmen,  oder  indem  die 
Herren  einer  Zentral-Organisation,  wie  sie  beispielsweise  fiir  Deutschland  im  Deutschen 
Handelstage  bcsteht,  ihre  Vcrtretung  ubertragen.  Dieses  moge  zwischen  heute  und  morgen 
geschehen. 

Ich  bitte  die  Herren  aus  Deutschland,  sich  nach  SchluC  der  Vormittagssitzung  in  dieser 
Ecke  des  Saales  {tveist  von  der  Tribune  aus  nach  links)  zusammenzufinden,  damit  wir  uns  iiber 
die  .\ngelegenheiten  verstandigen. 

{Translation) 

The  President  has  reminded  us  that  the  selections  for  the  Permanent  Committee 
may  be  made  in  two  ways,  viz.  by  the  delegates  of  any  one  nation  here  making  their 
election  direct,  or  bj'  their  appointing  any  central  organization  to  which  they  may  be- 
long as  their  representative  for  the  purpose,  as  for  instance  for  Germany  "Der  Deut- 
sche Handelstag."     This  may  be  done  between  to-day  and  to-morrow. 

I  would  request  the  members  from  Germany  at  the  close  of  the  morning  session 
to  assemble  in  this  comer  of  the  hall  {indicating  the  left  of  the  platform)  in  order  that 
we  may  come  to  an  understanding  on  this  subject. 

Mr.  Ledoux:  I  ask  whether  the  Congress  rules  or  not? 
M.  le  President  {interrompant) :  Pardon,  M.  Ledoux  — 
{Malgri  les  interruptions,  M.  Ledoux  continue.) 

{Translation) 

Pardon  me,  Mr.  Ledoux  — 

{Mr.  Ledoux,  continues  in  spite  of  the  interruption.) 

Mr.  Ledoux:  I  ask  whether  the  Congress  shall  decide.  {Cries  of  "Out  of  order.")  I  would 
ask  —  {Hisses.) 

Mr.  Filene:  Whom  are  you  representing? 

M.  le  F*resident:  Je  vous  en  prie,  AL  Ledoux,  la  question  a  6t4  terminde;  nous  ne  vou- 
lons  pas  la  rouvrir. 

{Translation) 

I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  Ledoux;  the  question  has  been  closed;  we  do  not  wish  to 
reopen  it. 


190  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

M.  Ledoui:   Mais,  vous  I'avez  termin^e  vous-mlme,  non  pas  Ic  Congr^. 

{Translation) 

But  you  have  closed  it  yourself,  and  not  the  Congress. 

M.  le  President:  Je  vous  demande  pardon,  ne  rou\Tons  pas  la  question. 
Nous  continuons  done  la  discussion.     L'ordre  du  jour  appelle  maintenant  "The  Unifi- 
cation of  Legislation  relating  to  Checks." 
Le  rapporteur  Apt  a  la  parole. 

(Translation) 

I  beg  your  pardon;  let  us  not  reopen  the  question. 

Let  us  continue  our  discussion.     The  order  of  the  day  now  calls  for  "The  Unifica- 
tion of  Legislation  relating  to  Checks." 
Dr.  Apt,  the  Reporter,  has  the  floor. 

THE    UNIFICATION    OF   LEGISLATION    RELATING    TO    CHECKS 

Dr.  Max  Apt,  Syndic  of  "Die  Altesten  der  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin" 

Gentlemen : 

Before  I  begin  to  make  my  speech  on  the  subject  of  the  unification  of  the  laws  of  the 
check,  I  must  call  to  mind  the  great  success  that  the  Second  Hague  Conference  had  concerning 
the  unification  of  the  laws  of  exchange.  Almost  all  States  with  the  exception  of  the  United 
States  and  England  have  accepted  a  convention  dealing  with  the  unification  of  the  laws  of 
exchange. 

The  International  Congress  of  the  Chambers  of  Commerce  has  continually  asked  for  the 
unification  of  the  laws  of  exchange,  and  I  beheve  that  the  Congress  has  reason  to  be  verj' 
satisfied  with  that  success,  and  I  hope  that  the  States  which  have  not  yet  accepted  the  con- 
vention will  in  time  follow  the  example  of  the  other  States. 

It  is  not  possible  at  such  a  great  meeting  to  discuss  all  the  points  of  the  check,  but  it  is 
sufficient  to  deal  with  the  most  important  principles.  Therefore  in  my  report  I  will  speak  of 
the  rules  that  "Der  Deutsche  Handelstag"  has  proposed. 

(Continuing  by  repeating  in  French  the  introductory  statement) 
Messieurs : 

Avant  de  commencer  mon  rapport  sur  I'unification  des  legislations  concemant  le  cheque, 
il  me  faut  faire  mention  du  grand  succes  qu'a  eu  la  seconde  conference  diplomatique  de  La 
Haye  sur  I'unification  du  Droit  relatif  b.  la  Icttre  de  change.  Presque  tons  les  fitats  —  k 
I'exception  des  fitats-Unis  d'Am6rique  et  de  I'Angleterre  —  ont  adopts  une  convention  sur 
I'unification  des  droits  relatifs  aux  lettres  de  change. 

Ce  congr^s  international  des  Chambres  de  commerce  a  rdclam^  sans  cesse  I'unification 
de  ces  droits  et  je  crois  qu'il  a  tout  lieu  d'etre  satisfait  de  ce  succes.  J'esp^re  que  les  fitats 
qui  n'ont  pas  encore  adh«5r6  h  cette  convention,  suivront  bientot  I'exemple  des  autres  fitats. 

II  est  impossible  dans  une  si  grande  assembl^e  de  discuter  tous  les  d(?tail3  du  cheque. 
On  devra  done  se  bomer  aux  points  essentiels.  C'est  pourquoi  je  vous  prdsente  dans  mon 
rapport  les  id6es  que  "Der  Deutsche  Handelstag"  a  adoptdes. 

(Continuing  in  German) 
Sehr  geehrte  Herren! 

Der  im  Juni  1910  in  London  abgehaltene  Vierte  Internationale  Handelskammer-Kongrefl 
faCte  in  Bezug  auf  da-s  intcmationale  Schcckrocht  folgenden  Boschlul?: 

,,Der  KongrcC  nimmt  mit  Intercsse  die  ihm  schon  vorgelcgten  Schriftstucke  entgegen 
und  stellt  die  Frage  zur  VervoUstiindigung  des  Studiums  fiir  die  Tagesordnung  der  nachsten 
Sitzung  zuriick,  indem  er  seine  voile  SjTnpathie  fiir  den  Gedanken  der  Vereinheitlichung  der 
intemationalen  Gesetzgebung  iiber  den  Scheck  zum  Ausdruck  bringt." 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  191 

Die  von  ilcm  KongrcB  en\artcte  VervoUstiindigung  des  Studiums  ist,  soweit  Dcutsch- 
land  in  Betracht  kommt,  dadurch  erfolgt,  daC  einmal  Heir  Dr.  Trumpler  im  Auftrage  der 
Handelskammer  zu  Frankfurt  a.  M.  cine  ,,Systematische  rechtsvcrgleichcnde  Darstellung 
des  Scheekreclits  aller  Kuiturvolker"  gcgoben  hat  und  femor  Herr  Gehcimrat  Dr.  Feli.x  Meyer 
im  Auftrage  der  Altesten  diT  Kaufmann.schaft  von  Berlin  in  gleicher  WeLsc  wie  beim  Welt- 
wechselrecht  eine  ausfiihrliche  I'ntersuchung  iiber  die  Vercinheitlichung  der  Weltscheck- 
rechte  angestellt  hat,  von  denen  die  ersten  Liefeningen  boreiLs  der  OfTentlichkeit  iibergeben 
worden  sind  und  von  denen  eine  Reihe  ^on  Exemjilaren  hier  auf  dem  Tisch  des  Hauses  auf- 
liegt.  Es  hat  femer  der  Aussehul3  des  Deutschen  Ilandelstages  sich  in  seiner  am  24.  Juni 
d.  J.  in  Kobi  a.  Rh.  stattgehabten  AusschuIS-Sitzung  mit  der  Frage  bcschiiftigt  und  die  Dber- 
zeugung  gewonnen,  daC  eine  Vereinheithchung  der  Scheckrechte  im  Interesse  von  Handel  und 
IndiLstrie  nicht  nur  wunschenswert,  sondem  auch  durchfuhrbar  sei.  Er  hat  eine  Reihe  von 
Leitsiitzen  aufgestellt,  die  niir  eine  tretTliche  Grimdlage  fiir  die  SchafTung  eines  Weltscheck- 
rec'hts  zu  bilden  scheinen,  und  ich  werde  de.shalb  mich  darauf  beschranken,  ohne  auf  Details 
eiiizugehen,  diese  Leitsiitze  niiher  zu  begriinden. 

Bevor  ich  hierzu  iibergehe,  kann  ich  nicht  unterlassen,  des  hervorragenden  Erfolges  zu 
gedenken,  den  die  zwcite,  auf  den  15.  Juni  1912  nach  dem  Haag  berufene  diplomatische  Welt- 
wechsclrechts-Konferenz  gehabt  hat,  die  zu  einer  Konvention  geflihrt  hat,  der,  abgesehen 
von  den  Vereinigten  Staaten  von  Nordamerika  und  England,  alle  Staaten  beigetreten  sind. 
Der  Internationale  Handelskammer-KongreB,  welcher  die  SchafTung  eines  Welt  wee  hselrechts 
seit  jeher  betrieben  hat,  hat  alien  Grund  auf  dieses  Ergebnis  stolz  zu  sein.  Der  Verlauf  der 
Vcrhandlungen  iiber  das  Weltwechselrecht  eroflfnet  aber  auch  aussichtsvolle  Aspekte  fiir  die 
Schaflfung  eines  Weltscheckrechts. 

I.    Begriffsbestimmung 

Die  erste  Frage,  welche  sich  erhebt,  ist  die,  soli  das  Weltscheckrecht  eine  Begriffsbe- 
Btimmung  des  Schecks  in  das  Gesetz  aufnehmen  oder  nur  die  wesentlichen  Bedingungen  auf- 
Btellen,  unter  denen  die  Urkunde  als  Scheck  ange-sehen  werden  soil.  Das  eine,  glaube  ich,  hat 
die  historische  Entwicklung  der  gesamten  Scheckfrage  ergeben,  daC  die  Ansicht,  die  von  der 
engli.-*chen  Gruppe  vertreten  wird,  als  ob  der  Scheck  lediglich  als  eine  Unterart  des  Wechsels 
anzusehen  sei,  nicht  mehr  aufrecht  erhalten  werden  kann.  Aber  auch  die  Versuche  der  franzo- 
sischen  Gruppe,  eine  Legaldefinition  des  Schecks  zu  gebcn,  veranla-ssen  zu  zweifeln  und  be- 
Btatigen  den  alten  Grundsatz:  omnis  definitio  est  periculosa. 

Eine  Definition  des  Schecks  zu  geben  erscheint  auch  unnotig,  wenn  man,  wie  es  das  deut- 
8che  Schecksgosetz  tut,  sich  darauf  beschriinkt,  die  wesentlichen  Erfordenii.sse  des  Schecks 
aufzuzalilen.  Dem  \'emehmen  nach  hat  auch  die  diplomatische  Weltwechselrechts-Konfe- 
renz,  die  sich  kursorisch  auch  mit  der  Scheckrecht frage  befaCte,  von  einer  Legaldefinition  des 
Schecks  Abstand  genommen  und  sich  damit  begniigt,  die  wesentlichen  Erfordcmisse  dea 
Schecks  zum  Ausdruck  zu  bringen.  Ich  glaube  daher  auch  dem  KongreB  als  ersten  Leitsatz 
vorschlagcn  zu  diirfen: 

,,Es  ist  nicht  notig,  daC  daa  einheitliche  Scheckgesetz  eine  Begriffsbestimmung  de^  Schecka 
aufstellt;  \-ielmehr  geniigt  es,  die  wesentlichen  Bestandteile  des  Schecka  zu  bcstimmen." 


II.  Passive  Scheckfahigkeit 

Zu  den  bestrittendsten  Fragen  dea  Scheckrechta  gehort  die  Frage,  ob  der  Kreis  der  be- 
siehbaren  Personen  beschriinkt  werden  soil.  Man  unterscheidet  Gesctze,  wolchc  nur  einen 
Bankier  als  pa.ssiv  scheckfahig  betrachten,  diojenigen  Gesetze,  welche  ein  Bankinstitut,  ein 
Kreditinstitut  und  Kaufleute  fiir  passiv  scheckfahig  halten,  und  solche,  welche  eine  voile 
pa.-*.-^ive  Scheckfahigkeit  bcstimmen.  SchlieClich  diejcnigon  Gesetze,  welche  eine  Soll-Vor- 
echrift  fiir  die  Bczichung  des  Bankicrs  und  denen  gleichge.stcUte  Anstalten  vorschreiben, 
und  Schecks,  die  diesen  Erfordemissen  nicht  entsprechen,  als  Wechsel  verstempeln. 


192  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Es  fragt  sich  nun,  welehen  Standpunkt  soil  das  einheitliche  Weltscheckrecht  einnehmen. 
GewiB  ist  cs  richtin,  daC  der  wirtschaftlichc  Nutzen  dcs  Schecks  nur  dann  cintreten  kann, 
wcnn  cr  auf  Porsonon  ckIof  Fimien  laulet,  die  berufsmaCig  fur  frenide  Rcclinung  Geld  an- 
nehincn  und  Zahlungen  leisten.  Nur  auf  diese  WeLse  wird  eine  Ansammlung  des  Kapitals  an 
dicjenigen  Stellon  ermoglicht,  welche  es  den  Bediirfnissen  der  allgemeinen  \'olkswirtschaft 
zugilnglich  machen  konnen.  Und  es  ist  auch  zuzugeben,  daC  je  groCer  der  KreLs  der  Bezo- 
genen  ist,  ura  so  schwieriger  ist  die  Abrechnung,  durch  welche  im  Wege  der  Buchung  und 
mit  Hilfe  des  Giroverkehrs  eine  wirkliche  Erspamis  an  baren  Umlaufsmitteln  erzielt  werden 
kann.  Trotzdem  konnte  sich  meines  Erachtcns  das  Weltscheckrecht  nicht  auf  den  Stand- 
jjunkt  stellen,  den  djis  englische  Recht  angcnommen  hat,  wonach  lediglich  der  Bankier  als 
Bozogcner  figuriercn  kann.  Denn  selbst  wcnn  der  Bcgriff  dcs  Bankiers  in  Wirklichkeit  so 
klar  ware,  wie  cr  es  nicht  ist,  daC  der  Nehiuer  sofort  in  der  Lage  ist,  festzust<»llen,  ob  er  einen 
giiltigcn  Scheck  vor  sich  hat  oder  nicht,  darf  man  doch  nicht  ohne  Not  in  die  Wirtschafts- 
entwicklung  anderer  groCer  Staaten  wie  Frankrcich  eingreifen,  wo  Notare  in  ihrer  Eigen- 
schaft  als  Vermogensverwalter  vielfach  Barguthaben  in  Verwahrung  haben,  iibcr  die  die 
Hinterleger  im  Wege  des  Scheckverkehrs  verfiigen.  Es  liegt  auch  kein  Grund  vor,  groCen 
Export-  und  Importfirmen  mit  iiberseeischen  Geschaftsbetrieb,  die  an  ihrem  auslandischen 
Niederlassungsorte  keine  Bankverbindung  besitzen,  zu  verbieten,  Schecks  auf  sich  ziehen  zu 
lassen.  Deshalb  kann  das  Weltscheckrecht  es  zwar  als  wunschenswert  aussprechen,  daC 
Schecks  nur  auf  Bankiers  und  gleichgestellte  Anstalten  gezogcn  werden  soUen,  keineswegs 
aber  diirfcn  die  anders  lautenden  Schecks  als  nichtig  erkliirt  werden.  Deshalb  schlage  ich 
Ihnen  vor,  fiir  das  intcmationale  Scheckgesetz  den  Satz  zu  akzeptieren: 

,,Es  ist  zu  be.stimmen,  daC  Schecks  nur  auf  einen  Bankier  gezogen  werden  soUen;  doch  darf 
ein  auf  einen  Nichtbankier  gezogener  Scheck  nicht  rechtsunwirksam  sein." 


III.  Wesentliche  Bestandteile  des  Schecks 

Wenn  der  Scheck  einen  Zahlungsauftrag  darstellt,  an  den  sich  rechtliche  Folgen  knup- 
fen,  so  liegt  cs  im  Interesse  der  Verkehrssicherheit,  dal3  dieser  Auftrag  in  einer  schriftlichen 
Urkunde  dargestellt  wird,  die  fiir  alle  Rechtsfragen  des  Scheckverkehrs  die  Grundlage  bildct. 
Daraus  ergibt  sich  von  selbst,  daC  die  Schriftlichkeit  als  erste  Formerfordemis  fiir  den  Scheck 
aufgestellt  werden  muB.  Eben.so  selbst verstiindlich  muC  die  Angabe  des  Bezogenen  als  we- 
sentliches  Erfordcmis  fiir  den  Scheck  anerkannt  werden,  weil  ohne  diese  Angabe  ein  Scheck 
nicht  einlosbar  sein  wiirde.  Ob  der  Scheck  die  in  den  Scheck  anzunelmiende  Bezeichnung 
als  Scheck  enthalten  miisse,  dariiber  herrscht  in  den  cinzelnen  Liindem  keine  t^ereinstim- 
mung.  Wenn  die  Vereinigten  Staaten  von  Amerika  und  GroIJbritannien  Schecks  ohne  die 
Scheckklausel  besitzen,  so  liegt  es  daran,  daC  dort  der  Scheck  ein  besonders  gearteter  Wechscl 
ist  und  als  solcher  schlechthin  gilt,  wenn  er  nicht  an  einen  Bankier  trassiert  wordcn  ist.  Indes 
mufi  gerade  fur  ein  Papier,  das  als  Zahlungsmittel  dienen  soil,  die  Aufnahme  der  Scheckklau- 
sel als  wesentliches  Erfordeniis  befiirwortet  werden,  da  sie  jeden  Zweifel  dariiber  nimmt, 
was  die  Parteicn  gewoUt  haben  und  weil  durch  die  Scheckklausel  dcm  Ausstellcr  zum  Be- 
wu(?tsein  gebraoht  wird,  tlafi  cr  durch  dieses  Papier  iiber  ein  Guthaben  bei  dem  Bezogenen 
verfiigt  und  sich  cventuell  straf recht licher  Verfolgungen  aussetzt,  wenn  er  eine  solchc  Urkunde 
ohne  Deckung  ausstellt.  Dem  Vemehmen  nach  hat  sich  auch  die  diplomatische  Konferena 
fur  die  Scheckklausel  ausgesprochcn. 

Diis  Requisit  der  Zahlungsklau.scl,  d.  h.  die  an  eine  Person  oder  Firma  gerichtete  Anwei- 
sung  dcs  Ausstellcrs,  aus  scincm  Guthaben  eine  bestimmte  Geldsumme  zu  zahlen,  wird  von 
den  zahlreichen  geltenden  Scheckgesetzen  nicht  iiberall  ausdriicklich  gefordert,  doch  auch 
dort,  wo  seine  Notwendigkcit  nicht  besonders  betont  wird,  wird  sie  als  unumgiinglich  crachtet. 
Jedenfalls  herrscht  dariiber  Ubcreinstimmung,  dal3  die  Weisung  an  den  Bezogenen  unbedingt 
gegeben  werden  muC  und  von  kcinor  Gegenleislung  abhiingig  sein  darf.  In  diesem  Sinne  hat 
sich  dem  Vemehmen  nach  auch  die  diplomatische  Konferenz  ausgesprochen. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  193 

Die  Angabe  einer  Geldsurame  wird  fiir  den  Scheck  uberall  als  notwcndiges  Erfordemis 
aufgestellt.  Man  ist  dariiber  wohl  auch  auf  dor  intemationalen  Konferenz  cinig  gewesen, 
daC  nur  Geldschecks  den  Gegenstand  eines  einheitlichen  Gesetzes  bilden  diirfen.  Der  Uber- 
weisungsschock  eignet  sich  nicht  zur  Behandlung  im  einheitlichen  Scheckgesetz,  vielmehr 
muC  es  den  Banken  iiberla-s-sen  bleiben,  den  Gebrauch  diescr  Urkunde  durch  besondere  Ge- 
schaft.sbedingungen  zu  ordnen. 

Ob  die  Bezeichnung  des  Zahlungsortes  als  wesentlicher  Bestandteil  des  Schecks  angesehen 
werden  soil,  kann  streitig  sein.  Gleichwohl  diirfte  es  sich  fiir  ein  einheitliches  Scheckgesetz 
empfehlen,  die  Angabe  des  Zahlungsortes  als  wesentlichen  Bestandteil  des  Schecks  anzu- 
sehen.  Nach  dem  deutschen  Recht  gilt,  wenn  kein  Zahlungsort  bezw.  kein  Ort  bei  der 
Firma  des  Bezogenen  angegeben  ist,  als  Zahlungsort  der  Ausstcllungsort ;  nach  osterreichi- 
schem  Recht  dagegen  der  Ort,  an  dem  der  Bezogene  seine  Hauptniederlassung  hat.  Die 
leztere  Regelung  ist  nicht  zu  befiinvorten,  denn  auf  diese  Weise  ist  in  den  zahlreichen  Fallen, 
in  denen  der  bezogene  Bankier  mehrere  Hauptniederlassungen  hat,  eine  eindeutige  Bestim- 
mung  des  Zahlungsortes  iiberhaupt  nicht  moglich. 

Die  Bezeichnung  des  Ausstellungsortes  ist  deshalb  von  groCer  Wichtigkeit,  weil  aus  dem 
Ortsdutum  es  sich  ergibt,  ob  es  sich  um  einen  Inlands-  oder  Auslandsscheck  handelt  und  sich 
danach  die  Priisentationsfrist  regelt. 

Auch  der  Tag  der  Ausstellung  ist  fur  jede  Urkunde  von  gro(3er  Bedeutung,  weil  der  Be- 
ginn  der  Priisentationsfrist  nur  vora  Zeitpunkte  der  Ausstellung  an  gerechnet  werden  kann. 

Da  der  Zweck  des  Schecks  der  ist,  sofort  eingelost  zu  werden  und  seine  Ausartung  zu 
einem  Kredit papier  verhiitet  werden  muC,  so  ist  die  Sichtstellung  des  Schecks  auch  fiir  das 
einheitliche  Scheckgesetz  zu  adoptieren. 

Zu  den  unwesentlichen  Bestandteilen  des  Schecks.  d.  h.  zu  denjenigen,  die  fehlen  konnen, 
ohne  daC  dadurch  die  Gultigkeit  des  Schecks  beeintriichtigt  wird,  gehoren  die  Guthabenklau- 
sel  und  die  Bezeichnung  des  Zahlungsempf angers.  Was  die  Guthabenklausel  betrifft,  so 
enthalt  das  englische  Gesetz  dieselbe  nicht,  trotzdem  halt  der  strenge  Handelsbrauch  den 
Scheckverkehr  in  reellen  Grenzen.  Auch  fiir  das  Weltscheckgesetz  erscheint  die  Guthaben- 
klausel iiberfliissig,  da  die  charakteristische  Eigenschaft  der  Urkunde  bereits  durch  die 
Scheckklausel  bezeichnet  wird.  Wer  einen  Scheck  ausstellt,  weiC  eben,  daC  er  dadurch  iiber 
ein  Guthaben  verfugt. 

Die  Aufnahme  der  Guthabenklausel  als  wesentlicher  Bestandteil  des  Schecks  ist  auch 
deshalb  nicht  zu  empfehlen,  weil  uber  den  Begriff  Guthaben  die  einzelnen  Gesetze  vonein- 
ander  abweichen.  Hiemach  empfielt  es  sich  also  nicht,  im  Weltscheckrecht  die  Guthaben- 
klausel als  wesentUches  Erfordemis  aufzunehmen. 

Ebensowenig  wesentlich  erscheint  die  Bezeichnung  des  Zahlungsempfangers.  Ein  Scheck 
ohne  Angabe  des  Zahlungsempfangers  wird  eben  als  Inhaberscheck  behandelt. 

Als  wesenthche  Bestandteile  des  Schecks  sind  anzuerkennen: 

a)  Unterschrift  des  Ausstellers, 

b)  Bezeichnung  des  Bezogenen, 

c)  Scheckklausel, 

d)  Zahlungsklausel, 

e)  Geldsummenangabe, 

0    Angabe  des  Ortes  und  des  Tages  der  Ausstellung. 

Dagegen  sind  als  unwesentliche  Bestandteile  anzusehen: 

Guthabenklau.'^el, 

Bezeichnung  des  Zahlungsempfangers, 

Bezeichnung  des  Zahlungsortes. 


194  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

IV.   Der  Scheck  im  regelmaCigen  Verkehr 

Ftir  den  Scheck  im  regelmaCigen  Verkehr  kommen  folgende  Verhaltnisse  in  Betracht: 

a)  das  Verhiiltnis  des  Bezogcnen  zum  Aussteller, 

b)  das  Verhiiltnis  dcs  Bezogcnen  zum  Inhaber, 

c)  das  Verhiiltnis  dcs  AusstcUcrs  und  der  Indossanten  zum  Inhaber. 

Was  das  Verhaltnis  dcs  Bezogencn  zum  Aussteller  anbelangt,  so  stiitzt  sich  dasselbe  auf 
die  zwischen  diesen  beiden  gctrofTenen  Vereinbarungen,  den  sogenannten  Scheckvertrag,  auf 
Grund  dessen  der  Kontoinhaber  berechtigt  ist,  iiber  scin  Guthaben  beim  Bezogcnen  mittcls 
Schccks  zu  verfugcn.  Diesen  Scheckvertrag  etwa  gesetzlich  festzulcgen,  empfiehlt  sich  fiir 
ein  cLnheitliches  Scheckgesctz  nicht;  denn  cs  handelt  .'^ich  hier  um  Verhaltnisse,  die  der  Scheck- 
ziehung  zugrunde  licgen,  im  Scheck  sclbst  aber  nicht  zum  Au.sdruck  gelangen. 

Die  Fragc,  ob  dem  Scheckinhaber  ein  chrektes  Klagerecht  gegen  den  Bezogcnen  in  dcm- 
selben  Umfangc  eingeriiumt  werde,  in  welchem  der  letztcre  dem  Aussteller  nach  dem  zwischen 
ihnen  obwaltendcn  Rechtsvcrhiiltnis  zur  Einlo.'^ung  des  Schccks  vcrpflichtet  ist,  wird  von  den 
verscliiedenen  Gesetzen  verschieden  beantwortet.  Das  direkte  Klagerecht  des  Scheckinha- 
bers  gegen  den  Bezogcnen  wird  nur  in  denjenigen  Liindcm  anerkannt,  welche  annelmien,  daB 
mit  der  Begebung  dcs  Schccks  auch  der  Anspruch  auf  die  Deckung  iibergeht,  wie  in  P'rank- 
reich,  Belgien,  Italien.  Ftir  das  Weltscheckrecht  empfiehlt  es  sich  nicht,  eincn  direkten 
scheckrechtlichen  Anspruch  gegen  den  Bezogcnen  zuzula.sscn,  denn  stets  biklet  ein  dem 
Schecknehmer  frcmdes  Verhiiltnis  das  Klagefundament,  und  der  Scheckinhaber  wird,  weil  er 
alien  hier  maCgebcndcn  Vereinbarungen  und  Abmachungen  fcmstcht,  in  der  Regel  auf  die 
Mitwirkung  dcs  Au.sstellers  angewiesen  sein.  Dem  Scheckinhaber  wiirde  also,  wenn  der  Aus- 
steller ihm  nicht  bcisteht,  das  direkte  Klagerecht  sehr  wenig  niitzen.  Darum  empfiehlt  es  sich 
auch  ftir  das  einheitliche  Scheckgesctz  nicht,  einen  scheckrechthchen  Anspruch  dcs  Inhabers 
gegen  den  Bezogcnen  anzuerkennen. 

Wahrcnd  der  Aussteller  zum  Bezogcnen  nie  erst  durch  die  Scheckziehung,  sondem  be- 
reits  durch  den  sogenannten  Scheckvertrag  in  ein  bestimmtes  Rechtsvcrhiiltnis  tritt,  wird 
ein  solches  Rcchtsverhiiltnis  zwischen  dem  Aussteller  und  dem  Schecknehmer  immer  nur 
durch  den  \'crlauf  des  Scheckgeschiifts,  durch  den  Akt  der  Begebung  hervorgebracht.  Dafi 
in  der  Begebung  ein  stillschweigender  Vertrag  zu  sehen  ist,  ist  allgemein  anerkannt.  Wie 
aber  dieser  Vertrag  juristisch  zu  beurteilcn  ist,  ist  von  jeher  streitig  gewesen.  Infolge  dicser 
verschiedenartigen  jurLstischen  Beurteilung,  die  auf  die  verschiedene  zivilrechtliche  Auf  fas- 
sung  der  Sachlage  in  den  cinzelnen  Liindern  zuriickzufiihren  ist,  empfiehlt  es  sich  nicht,  im 
Weltscheckrecht  eine  Bestimmung  zu  treffen,  viclmchr  muC  die  Frage,  wieweit  der  Nehmer 
des  Schccks  auf  die  Deckung  berechtigt  sein  soil,  den  Landesgesetzen  zur  Regelung  vorbe- 
halten  bleiben. 

V.   Indossament 

Der  durch  Indos.sament  iibertragbare  Ordcrscheck  ist  in  siimtlichcn  Staatcn  cingcfiihrt. 
Verschieden  dagegen  wird  die  Frage  beantwortet,  ob  der  Scheck  der  Ordcrklauscl  bedarf,  um 
indossierbar  zu  sein,  oder  ob  er  grundsiitzlich  indossicrbar  ist,  so  daC  es  einer  bcsonderen  Klau- 
sel  bcdurfe,  um  die  Indossibilitiit  auszuschlic.-vscn.  Fiir  das  Weltscheckrecht  diirfte  es  sich 
empfehlen,  sich  dem  letztercn  Standpunkt  anzuschlieCen.  Die  Rechtswirkung  des  Indossa- 
ments  ist  die,  daC  der  Scheck  auf  den  Indossatar  iibcrtragen  wird.  Der  Indossatar  kann  den 
Scheck  weiter  indossiercn,  entweder  durch  Voll-  oder  Blankoindossament.  Der  Schcckschuld- 
ner  hat  cine  Pflicht  zur  Legit imationj^priifung;  zahlt  er  ohne  Priifung,  so  wird  er  von  seiner 
Verbindlichkeit  nicht  bcfrcit.  Der  Scheckschuldner  mul3  ferner  die  Identitiit  dcs  Scheckin- 
habers  mit  der  Person,  auf  welche  die  formale  Legitimation  lautct,  priifen.  Zur  Priifung  der 
Indos-samcnte  kann  er  nicht  vcri)flichtet  wcrden. 

Ein  Indossament  des  Bezogcnen  ist  unwirksam;  dasselbe  kcinnte  bei  einem  Inhaber- 
scheck  auch  ohne  vorangegangenes  Indossament  an  Um  oder  bei  Schecks  mit  cinem  Blanko- 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  195 

indossament  vorkommcn  und  wiirde  eine  abstrakte  SchuUivcniflichtung  gegeniiber  jedem 
Bpateren  Inhaber  ohne  Riicksicht  auf  das  Vorhandensein  eincs  Ciuthabens  begriindcn,  also 
dieselbe  Bedeutung  haben,  wie  ein  Annahmevermerk.  Es  ist  daher  ebenso  wie  letztcrcr  un- 
wirksam. 

VI.   Prasentation 

Die  Scheckschuld  ist  eine  Holschuld,  d.  h.  der  Schuldncr  ist  nicht  verpflichtet,  die  gcschul- 
detc  Summe  dem  Scheokinhaber  bei  Falligkcit  von  selbst  zuzustellen.  Die  Riicksicht  auf 
einen  ordnungsmilBigcn  \'tTkehr  gcbietet,  daC  die  Umlaufzeit  des  Schecks  begrenzt  und  die 
Vorlegungsfrist  nicht  liingcr  ausgcdehnt  wird,  als  zu  einer  zweckentsprechenden  Venvertung 
des  Schecks  erfordcrlich  ist.  Die  Priisentationsfristen  sind  in  den  einzelnen  Liindern  sehr 
verschieden,  und  cs  wiire  sehr  wiinschenswert,  daC  das  cinheitliche  Scheckgcsetz  feste  Fristen 
vorschreibt  sowohl  ftir  das  Inland  wie  fiir  das  Ausland. 


VIl.   Einlosung 

Was  die  Einlosung  des  Schecks  anbelangt,  so  liegt  es  im  Interessc  des  gesamten  Zah- 
lungsverkehrs,  die  Barzahlung  tunlichst  zu  vermeiden.  Die  nicht  bare  Einlosung  geschieht 
durch  Verrechnung.  Der  Inhaber  kann  die  Annahme  einer  Teilzahlung  venseigern.  Lost 
der  Bezogene  einen  ihm  ordnungsgemiiB  vorgelegten  Scheck  trotz  Vorhandenseins  eines  aus- 
reichenden  Guthabens  nicht  ein,  so  ist  er  dem  Aussteller  nach  den  allgemeinen  biirgerlich-recht- 
lichen  Bestimmungcn  zum  Ersatz  des  durch  die  Nichteinlosung  entstandenen  Schadens 
verpflichtet.  Auch  der  Tod  oder  die  Geschaftsunfjihigkeit  des  Ausstellers  oder  die  Geschafts- 
unfjihigkeit  des  Bezogenen  sind  auf  dessen  Einlosungsrecht  ohne  EinfluB.  Auch  nach  Ablauf 
der  Vorlegungsfrist  ist  der  Bezogene  zur  Einlosung  berechtigt.  Der  Bezogene,  der  den 
Scheckbetrag  bezahlt,  kann  nach  deutschem  Recht  die  Aushiindigung  des  quittierten  Schecks 
verlangen. 

Nach  dem  englischen  Recht  hat  der  Inhaber  den  bezahlten  Scheck  auszuhandigen,  doch 
ist  es  streitig,  ob  er  zur  Quittungslcistung  verpflichtet  ist.  Das  franzosische  und  englische 
Recht  enthalten  iiber  die  Art  der  Einlosung  keine  Vorschriften,  doch  ist  nach  dem  franzo- 
sischen  und  belgischen  Recht  die  Quittungslcistung  auf  dem  Scheck  vorgeschrieben.  Nach 
italienischem,  portugiesischem,  rumiinischem,  bulgarischem  und  schwcizerischem  Recht  ist 
die  Schcckzahlung  nicht  besonders  geregelt,  vielmehr  wcrdcn  die  entsprechcnden  wechsel- 
rechtlichen  Normen  auch  auf  den  Scheckverkehr  angewandt.  Nach  einigen  Rechten  ist  der 
Inhaber  zur  Annahme  von  Teilzahlungen  verpfhchtet,  in  anderen  Rechten  ist  zum  Ausdruck 
gebracht,  daB  er  zur  Annahme  von  Teilzahlungen  nicht  verpflichtet  ist. 

Ftir  das  cinheitliche  Scheckgcsetz  kommt  folgendes  in  Betracht:  ,,Der  Bezogene  kann 
Quittungslcistung  verlangen.  Der  Inhaber  ist  nicht  verpflichtet,  Teilzahlungen  entgegenzu- 
nehmen." 

Vni.   Widerruf 

In  Bezug  auf  den  Widerruf  des  Schecks  stehen  sich  zwei  Auffassungen  gegeniiber.  In 
England  kann  der  Aussteller  den  Scheck  frei  widerrufen  und  der  Scheck  gilt  nicht  nur  im 
Falle  des  Konkurses  des  Ausstellers,  sondem  auch  dann  als  widerrufen,  wenn  der  Bezogene 
von  dem  Tode  des  Ausstellers  Kenntnis  erhiilt.  Die  Lander  der  franzosischen  Gnijipe  er- 
blicken  dagegen  in  der  t'bertragung  eines  WecLscls  unil  Schecks  gleichzeitig  die  Zession  des 
Anspruchs  auf  die  in  den  Hiinden  des  Bezogenen  befindlichc  Deckung.  Daraus  folgt  fiir  diese 
Lander  der  Gmndsatz  der  Unwiderruflichkeit  des  Schecks,  sowie  die  weitere  Bestinmiung, 
daB  der  Scheckinhaber  im  Falle  des  Konkurses  des  Ausstellers  abgesonderte  Befriedigimg  aus 
dem  Guthaben  verlangen  kann.  Fiir  ein  einheitliches  Scheckgcsetz  empfiehlt  es  sich,  zwi- 
schen  diesen  Auffassungen  die  Mitte  zu  wiihlen  und  zu  bestimmen,  daB  ein  Widerruf  des 


196  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Schecks  erst  nach  Ablauf  der  \'orlepungsfrist  wirksam  sein  soil.  DaC  der  Scheck  auch  nicht 
ungiiltig  werdc  durch  den  Tod  odor  Eintritt  der  Geschiiftsunfiihigkeit  des  Ausstellers,  wohl 
aber  dadurch,  dalJ  dem  Bezogenen  die  Eroffnung  des  Konkurses  iiber  das  Vermogen  des  Aus- 
stellers bekannt  wird. 

IX.   Verrechnungsscheck  und  gekreuzter  Scheck 

Das  im  Reichsbankverkelir  und  im  Abroclmungsverkehr  eingofulirte  Verbot  der  baren 
Auszahlung  eines  Schecks  durch  den  quer  iiber  den  Text  gesetzten  Wrmerk  ,,Nur  zur  ^'er- 
rechnung"  ist  in  Deutschland  so  iiblich  geworden,  daC  bci  den  Reichsbankanstalten  ein  sehr 
groCer  Teil  der  vorgelegten  Schecks  diesen  Vermerk  triigt.  Durch  die  \'errcchnungsschecks 
wird  die  Gefahr,  daC  der  Scheck  von  einem  Unbekannten  eingezogen  werden  kann,  erheblich 
verringert.  Die  Verrcchnung  gilt  als  Zahlungslcistung  und  demzufolge  die  \'orlegung  zur 
Verrechnung  als  Vorlegung  zur  Zahlung.  Andere  Lander,  insbesondere  England,  kennen 
das  Institut  des  ,, Crossing."  Die  Kreuzung  ist  entweder  eine  allgemeine,  wo  die  Zahlung  an 
eine  beliebige  Bank  oder  an  einen  beliebigen  Bankier  geschchcn  kann,  oder  sie  ist  eine  beson- 
dere,  wenn  die  Tilgung  an  den  namhaft  gemachten  Bankier  bewirkt  wird.  Das  ,, Crossing" 
wirkt  insofem  erziehlich,  als  es  den  einzelnen  mehr  und  mehr  daran  gewohnen  wird,  die  Kas- 
senfiihrung  durch  einen  Bankier  bewerkstclligen  und  sich  bei  diesem  ein  Konto  anlcgen  zu 
lassen.  Die  Kreuzung  wird  durch  den  Verrechnungsscheck  nicht  erselzt,  denn  die  Verrech- 
nungsklau.sel  schUeCt  prinzipiell  jede  Barzahlung  aus,  was  beim  ,, Crossing"  nicht  der  Fall  ist. 
Auch  versagt  der  Verrechnungsscheck  viclfach  im  intemationalen  Verkehr.  Erst  der  gekreuzte 
Scheck  und  der  Verrechnungsscheck  nebeneinander  ermoglichen  die  Ausstellung  von  jedem 
Bedarf  ent.sprechenden  Schecks  mit  fast  unbedingtem  Schutz  gegen  Diebstahl  und  Fiilschung. 
Es  ist  daher  fiir  das  einheithche  Scheckrecht  zu  empfehlen,  daC  neben  dem  Verrechmings- 
Bcheck  auch  gekreuzte  Schecks  zugelassen  werden. 


X.   RegreB 

Was  die  Ausiibung  des  Regresses  im  Falle  der  Dishonorierung  des  Schecks  betrifft,  so 
gelten  hierfiir  in  den  meisten  Staaten  dieselben  Grundsiitze,  wie  sie  fiir  die  Austibimg  des 
Wechselregresses  bestehen.  In  Deutschland  bestehen  indes  einige  Verschiedenheiten.  So  ist 
fiir  den  Scheck  an'  Stelle  des  Protestes  die  Priidcklaration  zugelassen.  Die  Erhebung  des 
Protesies  ist  bei  dem  Wechsel  am  Zahlungstage  zuliissig,  sie  muC  spjitestens  am  zweiten 
Werktage  nach  dem  Zahlungstage  erfolgen.  Dagegen  keimt  das  deutsche  Scheckrecht  keine 
Protestf rist ;  vielmehr  muB  hier  der  Protest  vor  Ablauf  der  Vorlegungsfrist  erhoben  werden. 
FQr  ein  einheitlichcs  Scheckgesetz  empfiehlt  es  sich  daher,  fiir  die  Ausiibung  des  Scheckre- 
gresses  dieselben  Normen  wie  fiir  die  Ausiibung  des  Wechselregresses  zur  Anwendung  zu 
bringen. 

So  komme  ich  dazu,  Ihnen  zu  empfehlen,  sich  dahin  auszusprechen,  daC  eine  Vereinheit- 
lichung  der  Scheckrechte  im  Inlcresse  von  Handel  imtl  Industrie  nicht  nur  wiinschenswert,  son- 
dem  auch  durchfiihrbar  ist,  und  daC  die  voni  Deutschen  Ilandelstagc  beschlo-ssenen  Leitsiitze 
eine  gute  Gnmdlage  fiir  die  Vcrcinhcitlichung  der  Scheckrechte  bilden.  Im  Zusammenhango 
damit  mochtc  ich  Sie  bitten,  eine  Idee  zu  befiirworten,  welche  seitcns  der  deutschen  Delega- 
tion am  Schlusse  der  diplomat ischen  Weltwecliselrechts-Konferenz  vorgetragen  worden  ist. 
Es  ist  darauf  hingewiesen  worden,  dalJ,  wenn  das  Wechselrecht  von  den  Staaten  angenomraen 
wird,  es  notig  sein  •niirde,  fiir  dieses  Universalrecht  auch  einen  Universal-Gcrichtshof  einzu- 
eetzen,  welcher  in  letzter  Instanz  iiber  die  Streitfragen  des  Weltwechselrechts  zu  entscheiden 
haben  wiirde,  und  es  ist  beschlossen  worden,  dafi  die  Konferenz  an  die  Regicrungen  der  ein- 
zelnen Staaten  die  Bitte  richte,  die  Fragc  zu  priifon,  ob  es  mcighch  sein  wiirde,  einen  derartigen 
gemeinsamen  Gerichtshof  fiir  das  Weltwecliselrecht  zu  schaiTen.     Ich  glaube,  daO  diese  Idee 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  197 

eine  sehr  gliickliche  i.st,  well  erst  eine  cinheitliche  Rechtsprochung  eine  Gewiihr  chifiir  bietet, 
daC  das  Weltwcchselrecht  audi  einhcitlich  zur  Ausfiihrung  gclangt. 

Dieselben  Griindo,  welche  fiir  die  Etablierung  eines  Gerichtshofes  fiir  da.s  Weltwecksel- 
recht  spreohen,  fiihren  auch  zur  Etablierung  eines  Gorichtsliofes  fur  das  Weltscheckrecht,  und 
ich  bitte  iSie,  da(3  iSie  Ihrc  Syinpathie  fin-  diesen  Gedatiken  etwa  in  dcr  Form  aussprechen,  daC 
der  Internationale  Hanilel.skammer-KongrelJ  die  Idee,  einen  Gerichtshof  fiir  die  Auslegimg 
des  Weltweclisel-  und  Weltscheckrechts  zu  schafTen,  mit  groBer  Sympathic  begriiCt  und  die 
Regierungen  auffordert,  dieser  Idee  zur  Verwirklichung  zu  verhelfen. 

{Continuing  in  French) 

Messieurs,  j'espere  que  mes  explications  vous  ont  persuades  que  Tunification  des  lois  du 
ch(^que  est  utile  et  ndcessairc  pour  le  commerce  et  I'industrie,  et  qu'il  est  possible  d'atteindre 
cette  uniformit6. 

Mais  runifonnit6  des  lois  sur  la  lettre  de  change  et  le  chi^que  ne  pourra  6tre  conserv^e  k 
moins  d'etre  soutenue  et  garantie  par  unc  juridiction  commune. 

Pour  cela  la  deuxidme  conference  diplomatique  a  adress<5  aux  gouvemements  des  fitats 
qui  y  6taient  repr<5sent6s  la  pridre  d'examiner  la  question  s'il  serait  possible  d'(5tablir  une  juri- 
diction commune  pour  le  droit  commun  en  matiere  de  lettres  de  change.  Et  nous  pouvons 
ajouter,  en  matiere  du  chtique. 

Je  vous  prie  d'exprimer  votre  sympathie  pour  cette  idde. 

{Continuing  in  German) 
Iliemach  beantrage  ich: 
Der  Handelskammer-KongreC  wolle  bescliIieCen: 

1.  ,,Die  Vereinheitlichung  der  Scheckrechte  ist  nicht  nur  wiinschenswert,  sondem  auch 
durchfiihrbar.  Der  Kongrefi  richtet  an  die  einzelnen  Regierungen  die  Bitte,  diese  Verein- 
heitlichung auf  einer  baldmoghchst  zusammenzuberufenden  Staatenkonferenz  vorzubereiten. 

2.  Eine  notwendige  Ergiinzung  zur  Schaffung  eines  Weltwechsel-  und  Weltscheckrechts 
bildet  die  Einrichtung  eines  Gerichtshofes  im  Haag,  welcher  die  Streitfragen  im  Weltwechsel- 
und  Weltscheckrecht  in  letzter  Instanz  zu  entscheiden  hat."    (Beifall.) 

(Translation) 
Gentlemen: 

The  Fourth  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce,  held  in  London, 
June,  1910  [)aBsed  the  following  resolution  as  regards  international  legislation  on  checks: 

"The  Congress  accepts  with  interest  the  documents  submitted  to  it  and  postpones  for 
the  order  of  the  day  of  its  next  meeting  the  question  on  hand  for  the  puqiose  of  render- 
ing more  complete  the  study  thereof,  expre.ssing  at  the  same  time  its  entire  .sympathy 
concerning  the  suggestion  of  the  unification  of  international  legislation  on  checks." 

The  more  thorough  study  of  the  question  which  the  Congress  looks  forward  to  is 
effected  as  far  as  Germany  is  concerned  by  the  jjublication  on  the  i)art  of  Dr.  Trumpler, 
under  the  instructions  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  at  Frankfort,  of  a  systematic  com- 
parative treatise  on  the  laws  on  checks  as  promulgated  by  all  civilized  nations,  and  also 
by  the  fact  that  Privy  Councillor  Dr.  Felix  Meyer,  upon  being  requested  to  do  so  by 
"Die  Altesten  der  Kaufmanaschaft  von  Berlin,"  as  he  al.^o  has  done  in  the  case  of  the 
laws  existing  on  bills  of  exchange,  has  made  a  thorough  study  concerning  the  unifica- 
tion of  the  laws  on  checks,  a  work  of  which  the  first  parts  have  alreadj*  been  published. 
Moreover,  the  Executive  Committee  of  "Der  Deutsche  Ilandelstag,"  at  its  meeting  held 
on  the  24th  of  June  at  Cologne,  has  taken  up  the  same  question  and  has  arrived  at  the 
conviction  that  the  unification  of  the  laws  on  checks  is  not  only  desirable  in  behalf  of 
commerce  and  industrj',  but  is  also,  by  all  means,  a  thing  capable  of  being  carried  into 
effect.    The  Committee  has  agreed  on  a  scries  of  fundamental  i)rinciples  which  appear 


198  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

to  me  an  excellent  basis  for  the  creation  of  a  universal  law  on  checks  and,  therefore,  with- 
out going  too  much  into  details,  1  thull  confine  myself  to  further  substantiating  the 
said  fundamental  principles. 

Hut  before  entering  upon  the  subject  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  lay  stress  on  the  excellent 
results  rcalizi'd  by  the  second  diplomatic  conference  on  laws  on  bills  of  exchange  held 
on  the  15th  of  June,  1912,  inasmuch  as  the  same  has  brought  about  a  convention  of 
the  States  excepting  the  United  States  and  England.  The  International  Congress  of 
Chambers  of  Commerce,  which  from  its  beginning  has  done  ever>'thing  to  bring  about 
a  universal  law  on  bills  of  exchange,  can  truly  be  jiroud  of  this  result.  The  course 
of  the  negotiations  bearing  on  universal  legislation  on  bills  of  exchange  is  such  there- 
fore, as  to  promise  a  great  deal  in  behalf  of  universal  legislation  concerning  checks. 


I.  Definition 

The  first  question  which  presents  itself  is  whether  or  not  the  law  should  contain 
any  definition  of  a  check  or  should  confine  itself  to  determining  the  essential  conditions  to 
be  met  by  an  instrument  to  be  considered  as  a  check.  This  much,  I  believe,  has  been 
established  by  the  historic  development  of  the  entire  check  question,  —  that  the  view 
represented  by  the  English  group,  according  to  which  a  check  is  merely  a  variety  of  a 
bill  of  exchange,  can  no  longer  be  considered  correct.  But  the  attempts  likewise  of  the 
French  group  which  tried  to  estabhsh  a  legal  definition  of  the  check  give  rise  to  doubt 
and  confirm  the  old  adage:  omnis  difinilio  est  periculosa. 

Besides  that,  definition  appears  unnecessary  provided  that,  as  is  done  in  the 
German  check  law,  one  confines  oneself  to  enumerating  the  essential  requisites  of  the 
check.  1  understand,  too,  that  the  conference  upon  universal  legislation  on  bills  of 
exchange,  which  also  took  up  cursorily  the  question  of  legislation  on  checks,  has  desisted 
from  estabh.shing  any  legal  definition  of  a  check  and  has  merely  confined  itself  to  ex- 
pressing what  it  considered  to  be  the  essential  requisites  of  a  check.  I  believe,  therefore, 
that  as  a  first  fundamental  principle  I  may  submit  to  the  consideration  of  the  Congress 
the  following: 

"  It  is  not  necessary  that  a  uniform  law  on  checks  should  give  a  definition  of  a  check . 
It  is  suflBcient  to  determine  the  essential  elements  of  a  check." 


n.   Passive  Capacity 

One  of  the  most  discussed  questions  is  whether  or  not  the  number  of  persons  on 
whom  checks  may  be  drawn  should  be  restricted.  There  are  laws  which  only  admit 
the  passive  capacity  of  a  banker,  laws  which  consider  a  banking  institute  a  credit  institute 
and  merchants  as  being  passively  capable  and  which  provide  for  unlimited  passive 
capacity.  Finally,  there  are  laws  which  prescribe  a  so-called  debit  regulation  for  the 
relations  between  bankers  and  institutions  of  equal  standing  and  which  require  the  u.se  of 
revenue  stamps  on  all  checks  which  do  not  meet  the.'^e  requirements. 

The  question  thus  arises,  which  is  the  point  of  view  to  be  taken  by  universal  legis- 
lation on  checks.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  industrial  value  of  a  check  can  only  be 
realized  by  its  being  drawn  on  persons  or  firms  whose  occujiation  it  is  to  accejit  the  funds 
of  third  i)arties  on  deposit  and  to  make  payments  for  their  account.  Only  in  this  way  is 
it  possible  to  obtain  sufficient  accmnulations  of  capital  at  such  places  to  be  accessible  and 
available  for  the  general  requirements  of  business.  And  it  must  also  be  conceded  that 
the  larger  the  number  of  drawees  the  greater  the  difiiculties  in  the  clearing  through  wliich, 
by  mciUiB  of  booking  and  transfers  by  certificate,  a  considerable  saving  in  specie  in  circu- 
lation can  be  brought  about.  Nevertheless,  according  to  my  ojiinion,  universal  legislation 
on  checks  could  not  take  the  point  of  view  of  English  jurisjirudcnce  according  to  which 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  199 

a  banker  can  bo  the  drawee,  because  even  if  tlie  definition  of  the  word  banker  were  in 
reahty  sufficiently  clear  (which  it  is  not)  to  enable  the  person  in  whose  favor  the  check 
is  drawn  to  ascertain  whether  he  has  received  a  check  which  is  \aliil  or  not,  one  should 
not,  without  absolute  necessity,  interfere  with  the  economic  tievelopment  of  other  great 
States,  such  a.s  France,  where  notaries  in  their  quality  as  trustees  frequently  have  on 
hand  cash  deposits  of  which  the  depositors  dispose  by  means  of  checks.  Nor  is  there 
any  reason  why  large  export  and  import  houses  with  transatlantic  or  transpacific  branches 
in  places  where  there  are  no  banks  should  be  prevented  from  having  checks  drawn  on 
themselves.  For  this  reason,  universal  legislation  on  checks  may  declare  desirable  that 
checks  shoukl  only  be  drawn  on  bankers  and  equivalent  institutions,  while  on  the  other 
hand  checks  drawn  on  other  parties  must  not  be  decliu-cd  void  or  non-valitl.  I  therefore 
propose  to  you  to  adopt  for  the  international  law  on  checks  the  following: 

"  It  should  be  determined  that  checks  should  be  only  drawn  on  a  banker,  but  checks 
drawn  otherwise,  that  is,  on  a  party  not  a  banker,  shall  not  be  void  in  law." 


in.  Essential  Elements  of  the  Check 

Assuming  that  a  check  is  an  order  to  pay,  producing  legal  obligations,  it  is  in  the 
interests  of  business  security  that  this  order  should  be  represented  by  a  WTitten  instrument 
upon  which  all  legal  questions  regarding  check  transactions  are  based.  Thence  results 
the  first  requisite  for  the  form  of  the  check.  That  is  to  say,  it  should  be  in  writing.  It 
is  likewise  self-evident  that  the  maker's  signature  must  appear  on  the  check  as  an 
essential  element,  because  without  it  the  check  could  not  be  paid.  The  provisions  in  the 
various  coimtries  differ  as  to  whether  the  character  of  the  check  must  be  indicated  on 
the  same.  The  fact  that  the  United  States  and  England  have  checks  without  the  so- 
called  check  clause  is  due  to  the  circiunstances  that  there  the  check  is  a  bill  of  exchange 
of  a  special  kind  and  in  fact  is  considered  equal  to  a  draft  unless  it  is  dra%Mi  on  a  banker. 
Yet  for  a  document  which  is  to  be  used  as  an  equivalent  of  currency,  the  insertion  of  the 
check  clause  as  an  essential  element  is  to  be  recommended  inasmuch  as  it  removes  all 
doubt  as  to  the  intention  of  the  parties  and  also  because  the  check  clause  recalls  to  the 
maker  the  fact  that  by  this  document  he  disposes  of  a  deposit  held  by  the  drawee  and  that 
he  exposes  himself  to  criminal  proceedings  in  case  he  Lssues  the  check  without  the  same 
being  provided  for.  I  understand  also  that  the  diplomatic  conference  has  decided  in 
favor  of  the  check  clause. 

The  requirements  of  the  pa>Tnent  clause,  that  is  to  say,  the  instructions  given  a 
person  or  firm  by  the  maker  to  pay  from  his  deposit  a  certain  amount  of  money,  is  not 
insisted  upon  in  all  States,  but  even  in  ca.ses  where  its  necessity  is  not  expressed  .specially 
it  is  at  any  rate  considered  indispensable.  All  agree  that  the  instructions  to  the  drawee 
must  be  given  unconditionally  and  must  not  be  made  dependent  upon  any  counter- 
consideration.  This  appears  al.so  to  have  been  the  point  of  vnew  taken  by  the  diplomatic 
conference. 

The  indication  of  the  amount  of  money  is  everywhere  considered  as  an  indis- 
pensable requirement  for  all  checks.  The  International  Conference  has  without  doubt 
considered  it  understood  that  only  checks  calling  for  money  could  fonn  the  object  of  a 
uniform  law.  The  transfer  check  Ls  not  suited  to  bemg  put  within  the  scope  of  a  uniform 
check  law  and  it  must  be  left  to  the  banks  to  regulate  the  use  of  such  a  document  by 
means  of  special  conditions. 

It  is  an  open  question  whether  the  designation  of  the  place  of  payment  is  to  be  con- 
sidered as  an  essential  element  of  a  check.  Yet,  for  a  universal  check  law  it  might  be 
well  to  recommend  the  indication  of  the  place  of  pajTnent  a.s  an  essential  element. 
According  to  the  German  law  if  no  place  of  payment  is  given,  the  place  at  which 
the  check  has  been  made  is  considered  the  place  for  payment ;  according  to  the  Austrian 


200  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

law,  however,  the  place  where  the  drawee  has  his  principal  place  of  business.  The 
latter  provision  is  decidedly  unfair  because  in  numerous  cases  where  a  banker,  as 
drawee,  has  a  number  of  principal  offices  a  clear  definition  of  the  place  of  pajTiient  is 
simply  out  of  the  question. 

The  designation  of  the  place  where  the  check  has  been  made  is  of  particular  im- 
portance because  from  the  date  appearing  there  it  is  shown  whether  it  Ls  a  domestic  or 
a  foreign  check,  —  a  matter  which  is  of  imjiortance  when  determining  the  tenn  for 
presentation. 

Also  the  day  on  which  the  check  is  made  is  for  each  such  document  of  great  impor- 
tance because  the  beginning  of  the  term  for  presentation  can  only  be  calculated  from  the 
date  of  the  making  thereof. 

Inasnuich  as  the  object  of  the  check  is  to  be  converted  immediately  into  ready 
money  and  inasmuch  jis  its  degeneration  into  a  mere  credit  paper  or  credit  document 
must  be  jirevented,  the  condition  payable  at  sight  should  also  be  accepted  for  the  uni- 
versal <'hcck  law. 

Amongst  the  ines.sential  elements  of  a  check,  —  that  is,  such  elements  as  could 
be  dispen.seil  with  without  interfering  with  the  validity  of  a  check,  —  are  tlie  provision 
clause  and  the  indication  of  the  payee.  As  regards  the  i)rovision  clause,  the  English  law 
does  not  contain  any,  although  their  strict  commercial  custom  keeps  the  use  of  checks 
within  well-defined  limitations.  Further  the  provision  clause  appears  superficial  for  a 
universal  check  law  because  the  characteristic  quality  of  the  "document"  is  already 
define<l  and  indicated  by  the  check  clause.  He  who  issues  a  check  knows  that  by  so  doing 
he  disposes  of  a  "provision"  or  deposit  in  his  favor. 

The  insertion  of  the  provision  clau.se  as  an  essential  element  of  the  check  is  not  to 
be  recommended,  either,  for  the  rea-son  that  the  word  "provision"  (deposit  in  favor  of 
some  one)  is  interiireted  differently  by  the  dilTerent  laws;  and  this  is  the  reason  why  it 
cannot  be  recommended,  that  in  the  universal  check  law  the  provision  clause  should  be 
inserted  as  an  essential  requirement. 

Nor  does  the  designation  of  the  paj-ee  appear  to  be  essential.  A  check  on  which  the 
payee  is  not  specified  is  simply  treated  as  check  payable  to  bearer. 

As  essential  elements  of  a  check,  should  be  declared: 
(o)    Signature  of  the  maker. 
(6)    Designation  of  the  drawee. 

(c)  Check  clau.se. 

(d)  Payment  clause. 

(c)    Indication  of  amount. 

(/)    Indication  of  place  and  date  of  making. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  following  may  be  considered  as  non-essential  elements: 
Provision  clause. 
Designation  of  payee. 
Designation  of  the  place  of  payment. 


IV.   The  Check  in  Regular  Transactions 

For  a  check  pa.ssing  through  the  regular  clumncls  of  business  the  following  relations 
arc  to  be  taken  into  consideration: 

(a)    The  relation  of  the  drawee  to  the  tlrawer  or  maker. 

(6)    The  relation  of  the  drawee  to  the  bearer. 

(c)    The  relation  of  the  drawer  and  the  endorsers  to  the  bearer. 

As  regards  the  relation  of  the  drawee  to  the  maker,  it  is  understood  that  this  is 
based  on  the  agreements  made  between  the  two,  that  is,  the  so-called  check  agreement 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  201 

based  on  which  the  depositor  is  entitled  to  dispose  of  his  deposit  with  the  drawee  by 
means  of  checks.  It  is  not  to  be  recommended  that  this  check  agreement  should  be 
fixed  and  defined  by  law  in  case  of  uniform  check  legislation,  because  this  is  a  matter 
which  involves  conditions  which  are  of  basic  importance  for  the  making  of  checks  but 
which  are  not  expressed  in  the  check  itself. 

The  question  as  to  whether  the  holder  of  a  check  should  be  given  the  same  right  of 
action  against  the  drawee  which  obtains  against  the  drawee  on  the  part  of  the  maker  of 
the  check  pursuant  to  the  legal  relations  existing  between  them  as  far  as  the  pajTnent 
of  the  check  is  concerned,  is  decided  differently  by  the  various  laws  existing  thereon. 
The  direct  right  of  action  of  the  holder  of  the  check  against  the  drawee  is  only  recog- 
nized in  those  countries  which  assume  that  the  delivery  of  the  check  to  a  third  party 
involves  also  the  transfer  of  the  claim  for  pajTiient,  as  is  done  in  France,  Belgium  and 
Italy.  In  a  universal  check  law  it  would  not  be  recommended  to  admit  a  direct  claim 
resulting  from  a  check,  against  the  drawee,  because  the  foundation  for  the  action  would 
at  all  times  be  a  relation  with  which  the  bearer  of  the  check  Ls  not  familiar,  and  inasmuch 
as  the  bearer  of  the  check  is  not  acquainted  with  all  the  agreements  and  contracts  which 
are  decisive  here  he  would  as  a  rule  be  forced  to  resort  to  the  co-operation  of  the  maker. 
In  other  words,  unless  the  maker  assists  the  holder  of  the  check,  the  direct  right  of  action 
would  be  of  very  little  avail.  It  would,  therefore,  not  seem  convenient  that  a  universal 
check  law  should  embody  a  legal  claim  of  the  checkholder  against  the  drawee. 

While  the  relation  of  the  maker  to  the  drawee  is  not  established  at  any  time  by  the 
making  of  a  check  only,  but  above  all  by  the  so-called  check  agreement,  such  a  relation 
as  between  the  maker  and  the  first  holder  of  the  check  is  only  brought  about  in  the  course 
of  the  check  transaction,  but  is  the  delivery.  It  is  generally  recognized  that  the  dehvery 
involves  a  silent  agreement,  but  at  all  times  it  has  been  an  undecided  question  in  law 
as  to  how  this  contract  should  be  interpreted  legally.  Owing  to  this  different  conception 
from  the  legal  point  of  view  which  must  lead  to  varj'ing  interpretation  of  the  matter 
according  to  the  various  civil  codes,  it  scarcely  would  be  recommended  to  insert  a  provi- 
sion in  the  universal  check  law  covering  this  point  and  it  would  rather  seem  necessary 
that  the  question  as  to  how  far  the  first  holder  of  the  check  is  to  be  entitled  to  re- 
covery should  be  left  to  the  decisions  of  the  respective  countries. 


V.   Endorsement 

The  check  to  order,  transferable  by  endorsement,  is  recognized  in  all  States,  but  the 
provisions  as  to  whether  a  check  requires  the  order  clause  to  become  capable  of  endorse- 
ment, or  whether  it  is  endorsable  at  all  events,  so  that  it  would  require  a  special  clause 
to  exclude  the  possibility  of  endorsement,  vary  in  different  countries.  For  the  universal 
check  law  it  might  be  recommended  to  adopt  the  latter  point  of  view.  The  legal  effect 
of  the  endorsement  is  the  transfer  of  the  check  to  the  person  in  whose  favor  it  is  en- 
dorsed; the  latter  can  further  endorse  a  check  either  by  an  endorsement  in  full  or  by 
an  endorsement  in  blank.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  payer  to  verify  the  authenticity  of  the 
signatures;  if  he  pays  without  such  verification  he  is  nevertheless  not  released  from  his 
obhgation.  The  payer  must  further  verify  the  identity  of  the  check-holder  with  the 
person  to  whom  the  check  appears  payable  originally.  He  cannot  be  obliged  to  verify 
the  previous  endorsements. 

An  endorsement  on  the  part  of  the  drawee  is  not  effective.  The  same  might  occur 
on  a  check  to  bearer  without  previous  endorsement  to  him  or  on  checks  with  a  blank 
endorsement  and  would  prove  an  abstract  obligation  as  against  any  later  holder  without 
any  consideration  concerning  the  existence  of  the  requisite  provision.  It  would,  there- 
fore, have  the  same  signification  as  an  "acceptance."    Both  are  therefore  ineffective. 


202  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 


VI.   Presentation 

The  obligation  represented  by  a  check  is  a  debt  to  be  collected.  That  is  to  say: 
the  crcilitor  is  not  obligeil  to  transmit  to  the  holder  of  the  check  the  amount  due.  For  the 
sake  of  a  husincwlikc  transaction  the  term  for  presentation  of  the  check  must  be  limi- 
ted and  not  be  oxtcndctl  beyond  the  time  neces.sar>'  for  a  suitable  utilization  of  the  check. 
The  terms  within  which  a  check  must  be  presented  differ  vcr>-  much  and  it  would  be 
highly  desirable  that  a  uniform  check  law  should  prescribe  fixed  terms  both  for  domestic 
checks  and  checks  payable  abroad. 

vn.  Payment 

As  regards  the  paj-ment  of  the  check,  it  is  in  the  interest  of  general  exchange  to 
avoid  pajTnent  in  si)ecie  as  far  as  possible.  Settlements  other  than  in  cash  are  made  on 
accounts.  The  holder  can  refuse  to  accept  a  partial  pajTnent.  If  the  drawee  fails  to 
pay  a  check  presented  to  him  in  due  form  in  .^pite  of  the  provision  of  a  sufficient  balance, 
ho  becomes  liable  under  the  general  civil  code  to  the  amount  of  any  damage  suffered 
through  the  non-payment.  The  death  or  business  incapacity  of  the  maker  or  the  business 
incapacity  of  the  drawee  are  without  influence  on  the  right  to  pajinent.  Even  after  the 
expiration  of  the  term  of  presentation  the  drawee  is  permitted  to  pay  the  check.  The 
drawee  under  the  German  law  is  entitled  to  obtain  possession  of  the  receipted  check 
after  pajTnent. 

According  to  English  law  the  bearer  is  obliged  to  deliver  the  paid  check  although  it 
is  a  qucfetion  whether  he  is  obliged  to  give  a  receipt.  The  French  and  EngUsh  laws 
contain  no  provisions  in  regard  to  the  method  of  payment,  but  according  to  French 
and  IJclgiiUi  laws  receipt  on  the  check  is  required.  Italian,  Bulgarian,  Portuguese,  Rou- 
manian and  Swiss  laws  do  not  specially  deal  with  the  payment  of  checks,  but  the  corre- 
sponding {xjrtions  of  the  laws  relating  to  bills  of  exchange  are  usually  applied  to  check 
transactions.  In  some  legislation  the  holder  of  the  check  is  obliged  to  accept  partial 
pa>Tnent  while  other  laws  stipulate  that  he  is  not  obliged  to  accept  partial  pajTnent. 

For  the  uniform  check  law  the  following  is  suggested:  "The  drawee  may  request 
receipt.    The  paj-ee  is  not  obliged  to  accept  partial  payment." 


Vni.   Revocation 

In  regard  to  the  revocation  of  checks  there  are  two  contradict or>'  ideas.  In  England 
the  maker  can  cancel  a  check  at  will,  and  the  check  is  not  only  void  in  the  case  of  the 
bankniptcy  of  the  maker  but  also  when  the  drawee  is  notified  of  the  death  of  the  maker. 
The  countries  of  the  French  group,  however,  view  the  negotiation  of  checks  and  drafts 
as  an  assignment  of  the  right  to  the  funds  in  the  possession  of  the  drawee.  This  leads 
thc^e  countries  to  the  principle  of  the  irrevocability  of  the  chock  as  well  as  the  further 
provision  that  the  holder  of  the  chock  in  case  of  the  bankruptcy  of  the  maker  may 
demjmd  a  separate  settlement  from  the  credit  balance.  For  a  uniform  chock  law  it  is 
desirable  to  adopt  a  medium  between  these  two  conceptions  and  to  provide  that  a 
cjincellalion  of  the  check  shall  only  be  effective  after  the  expiration  of  the  term  for 
presentation.  That  the  check  should  not  become  void  through  the  death  or  business 
incapacity  of  the  maker;  but  the  check  should  be  void  on  notice  to  the  drawee  of  the 
in.solvency  of  the  maker. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  203 


IX.   Transfer  Check  and  Crossed  Check 

The  practice  in  business  with  the  Imperial  Bank  and  in  clearing  transactions  of  for- 
bidding payment  of  a  check  in  cash  by  the  inscription  "for  transfer  only"  written 
across  the  face  of  the  check  has  become  so  common  in  Germany  that  a  large  proportion 
of  the  checks  presented  at  the  branches  of  the  Imperial  Bank  bear  this  notation.  By 
means  of  the  transfer  check  the  risk  of  its  collection  by  an  unauthorized  person  is 
materially  reduced.  The  entry  counts  as  payment  and  consequently  the  presentation 
for  deposit  as  presentation  for  payment.  Other  countries,  particularly  England,  have 
a  system  known  as  "crossing."  The  "crossing"  Ls  either  general,  in  which  case  pay- 
ment can  be  made  through  any  bank  or  banker,  or  is  a  special  crossing,  in  which  case 
pajTnent  can  only  be  made  through  the  authorized  banker.  The  crossing  is  desirable 
in  one  respect  as  it  accustoms  individuals  more  and  more  to  handle  their  funds 
through  a  banker  and  therefore  to  open  bank  accounts.  The  crossing  is  not  exactly  re- 
placed by  the  tnmsfer  check,  since  the  transfer  clause  absolutely  e-xcludes  payment  in 
cash,  which  is  not  the  case  with  crossing.  The  transfer  check  has  also  some  weak- 
nesses as  regards  international  transactions.  Only  the  crossed  check  and  the  transfer 
check  both  would  provide  checks  for  every  use  with  practically  complete  protection 
against  theft  and  forgery.  It  is  therefore  desirable  for  the  uniform  check  law  to  permit 
both  the  transfer  check  and  the  crossed  check. 


X.  Recourse 

As  regards  recourse  in  case  a  check  is  dishonored,  in  most  countries  the  same  princi- 
ples are  applied  as  for  bills  of  exchange.  In  Gennany,  however,  there  are  some  varia- 
tions. For  instance,  in  the  case  of  a  check  a  personal  declaration  may  be  substituted  for 
protest.  The  protesting  of  a  draft  is  permitted  for  the  draft  at  maturity  and  must  be 
done  not  later  than  the  second  working  day  after  the  date  of  maturity.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  German  check  law  names  no  period  for  protest  although  the  protest  should 
take  place  before  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  presentation.  It  is  therefore  desirable 
that  the  uniform  check  law  should  provide  the  same  remedies  in  case  of  checks  as  for 
drafts. 

I  tliercfore  wish  to  recommend  to  you,  to  express  the  idea,  that  a  unification  of 
legislation  relative  to  checks  is  not  only  desirable  in  the  interests  of  commerce  and  in- 
dustr>'  but  is  likewise  po.ssible  of  realization,  and  that  the  princii)lcs  decided  by  "Der 
Deutsche  Handelstag"  form  a  good  foundation  for  the  unification  of  check  laws.  In 
connection  therewith  I  would  a-sk  you  to  favor  an  idea  presented  by  the  Gennan  dele- 
gation at  the  close  of  the  diplomatic  conforence  in  regard  to  the  international  laws  on  bills 
of  exchange.  Reference  w:us  made  to  the  fact  that  should  the  nations  adopt  the  law  on 
bills  of  exchange  it  would  be  necessarj*  to  have  for  this  international  law  also  an  inter- 
national court  which  would  decide  in  the  last  instance  on  disputes  in  regard  to  the  in- 
ternational law  on  bills  of  exchange  and  it  has  been  decided  that  the  conference  should 
address  the  request  to  the  governments  of  the  various  States  to  consider  the  question 
whether  it  would  not  be  possible  to  create  such  a  universal  court  of  law  relative  to  bills 
of  exchiinge.  I  believe  that  this  idea  is  a  vcr>'  good  one  inasmuch  as  onlj-  a  uniform 
judiciary  can  guarantee  that  the  international  law  on  bills  of  exchange  shall  be  uniformly 
enforced. 

The  same  rea.sons  which  speak  for  the  establishment  of  a  court  of  law  for  an  interna- 
tional law  on  bills  of  exchange  would  aLso  lead  to  the  creation  of  a  court  for  the  inter- 
national check  law,  and  I  beg  of  you  to  express  your  sentiment  in  favor  of  this  idea, 
possibly  in  the  form  that  the  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  ac- 


204  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

cepi.H  with  ai)i)r(>v;il,  the  idea  of  creating  a  court  of  law  for  the  interpretation  of  the 
international  laws  relative  to  checks  and  bills  of  exchange,  and  invites  the  govemmenta 
to  co-operate  in  its  realization. 

Gentlemen,  I  hope  that  my  explanations  will  have  convinced  you  that  the  unifica- 
tion of  legislation  relative  to  checks  Is  useful  and  necessary  for  commerce  and  industry 
and  that  it  is  possible  to  attain  such  uniformity. 

Hut  uniformity  of  rights  in  matters  of  bills  of  exchange  and  checks  cannot  be  main- 
tained unless  sustained  and  guaranteed  by  some  common  jurisdiction. 

For  this  rea-^on  the  second  dij)lomatic  conference  has  addressed  to  the  national 
governments  which  were  there  represented  the  request  to  consider  the  question  whether 
it  would  bo  pos.'iible  to  establish  a  common  jursidiction  for  the  universal  law  relative  to 
bills  of  exchange.     And  we  might  add  also  relative  to  checks. 

And  I  would  ask  you,  therefore,  to  ex-pre.ss  your  concurrence  in  this  idea. 

I  therefore  move: 

That  the  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  shall  resolve, 

1.  "The  unification  of  legislation  relative  to  checks  is  not  only  desirable  but  pos.si- 
ble  of  attainment.  The  Congress  directs  to  the  various  governments  the  plea  to  take 
steps  towards  such  unification  through  an  international  conference  to  be  convoked  as 
soon  as  possible. 

2.  An  essential  supplement  to  the  creation  of  an  international  law  relative  to  bills 
of  exchange  and  checks  will  be  the  establishment  of  a  court  in  The  Hague  which  shall 
decide  disputes  relative  to  international  law  on  bills  of  exchange  and  checks  in  the  last 
instance."     (Applause.) 

(Continuing  in  English) 

Gentlemen,  1  have  ex-plained  that  the  difTerences  in  the  laws  of  the  check  are  not  so  great 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to  realize  unification.  And  I  hope  that  even  if  you  are  not  all  in 
perfect  agreement  with  me,  you  will  at  least  be  in  sympathj'  with  the  unification  of  the  law 
of  the  check.  But  it  is  not  sufTicient  that  the  law  of  the  check  and  exchange  are  unified;  it 
is  still  more  necessar>'  that  a  high  court  may  be  established  for  the  interpretation  of  the  ques- 
tions concerning  the  unified  law  of  the  check  and  exchange. 

M.  le  President:  M.  Apt  nous  a  done  comment^  les  decisions  les  plus  rdcentes.  Vous 
savez,  messieurs,  que  cette  question  du  cheque  a  6i6  trait<5e  k  La  Haye.  On  nous  demande 
done  maintcnant  dY-mettre  un  vocu  en  faveur  de  I'unification  du  cht^que  et  d'une  legislation 
qui  pcnnottrait  que  tous  les  pays  puis.sent  fitre  trait6s  de  la  meme  fa^on. 

Je  donne  la  parole  h.  I'orateur  suivant,  M.  Almeid.\,  du  Brdsil. 

(Tranilalion) 

Mr.  Apt  has  commented  on  the  most  recent  decisions.  You  know  that  this  ques- 
tion of  the  check  has  been  treated  at  The  Hague.  We  are  now  asked  to  express  a  wish 
in  favor  of  the  unification  of  the  check  and  of  legislation  which  would  allow  all  countries 
to  be  treated  alike. 

I  give  the  floor  to  the  next  speaker,  Mr.  Almeida,  of  Brazil. 

Dr.  Candido  de  Mendes  de  Almeida,  Official  Delegate  of  the  Government  of  Brazil;  Director  of 

the  CumtncTcUil  Museum,  Rio  dc  Janeiro 

Messieurs: 

Je  vous  tlemande  la  jiermission  de  parler  en  fran^ais,  parce  que  ma  langue  nationale 
n'est  pas  reconnue  conune  langue  officielle,  et  je  ne  puis  pas,  apr6s  trente  jours  d'dtude 
de  I'anglais,  m'ex-])rimer  dans  cette  langue  de  fa^on  ii  6trc  compris. 

Comme  repri'-.scntant  du  gouvemenient  Brcf-silien,  comme  rcprt'sentant  aussi  de  la  Fede- 
ration (les  A.ssociations  Commerciales  du  Br^sil  —  les  a.s.sociations  commerciales,  ce  sont  des 
chambres  de  commerce  —  nous  avons  organist  la  Federation  des  Associations  Commerciales 


L 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  205 

k  Rio-de-Janeiro,  la  capitale  —  et  aussi  comme  repr(5sentant  du  Conseil  des  courtiers  en  mar- 
chandises  de  navires  —  c'est  aussi  una  organisation  des  courtiers  avec  intervention  du 
gouvemement.  Ces  institutions-Ill  ont  un  intoret  6norme  dans  le  cheque,  parce  qu'elles 
representent  tout  le  commerce,  c'est-i!l-<lire  tous  ceux  qui  ont  des  intfl'-rets  dans  les  relations 
commerciales.  Si  j'ai  eu  le  courage  de  prendre  la  parole  dans  cette  assemblde  si  distingu^e  et 
si  comp6tente,  c'est  simplement  parce  que  j'ai  voulu,  devant  ce  grand  Congr&^,  oH  sont  rd'unis 
les  represent  ants  les  plus  distingu(53  du  monde  entier,  affirmer  I'existence  du  BnSsil. 

Je  vous  demande  pardon,  messieurs,  de  parler  ainsi,  mais  j'ai  lu  tous  les  rai)ports,  et  j'ai 
constats  que  Ton  y  fait  des  r(5f6rences  i\  des  pays,  qui  sont,  certainement,  dignes  d'etre  men- 
tionn(5s,  mais  des  pays  qui  n'ont  pas  plus  que  mon  pays,  le  Br^sil,  le  droit  d'etre  ^tudiOs. 

Le  Br^sil,  messieurs,  est  un  pays  tros  malheureux.  II  fait  des  efforts  (?normes  pour  etre 
connu,  il  fait  des  efforts  C'nonnes  pour  dt^montrcr  sa  capacite,  il  fait  des  efforts  6nonnes  i)our 
dcmontrer  son  intelligence,  il  fait  des  efforts  6normes  pour  d6montrer  qu'il  accompagne, 
pas  i  pas,  tous  les  mouvements  de  la  science,  tous  les  mouvements  de  1' Industrie,  tous  les 
mouvements  du  commerce;  eh  bien!  messieurs,  on  ne  trouve  pas  le  nom  du  Br6sil  quand  on 
parle  des  droits  des  peuples. 

Messieurs,  le  Br6sil,  c'est  le  plus  grand  pays  de  I'Am^rique  du  Sud.  C'est  un  pays  qui 
a  trente-neuf  millions  de  kilometres  carres,  et  toutes  ses  terres  sont  continues,  sont  fertiles, 
sont  utiles,  sont  productives.  C'est  le  pays  du  caf6,  c'est  le  pays  du  caoutchouc;  et  s'il  existe 
dans  le  monde  une  Industrie  du  caoutchouc,  ce  sont  les  grandes  forfits  de  I'Amazone  qui  ont 
donn6  naissance  k  cette  grande  industrie,  laquelle  est  k  I'heure  pr<f*sente  tres  bien  expos<!'e  k 
"I'lntemational  Exposition  of  Rubber,"  k  New-York.  C'est  du  Br(5sil  que  sont  sorties  lee 
Bemences  qui  ont  produit  les  grandes  cultures  de  I'lnde,  de  Ceylan  et  des  autres  parties  de 
I'Asie. 

Ce  grand  pays,  qui  a  vingt-deux  millions  d'habitants,  la  grande  majority  de  ses  habitants 
est  compos<5e  d'hommes  blancs,  avec  une  trds  petite  proportion  d'indigenes.  Partout,  on  de- 
mande si,  au  Brcsil,  nous  sommes  des  negres.  Eh  bien!  je  vous  I'affirme,  sous  la  responsa- 
bilit6  que  j'ai  comme  representant  de  mon  gouvemement,  sous  la  responsabilit6  que  j'ai 
comme  representant  de  la  F6d6ration  des  Associations  Commerciales  du  Br6sil,  je  vous  I'afhrme, 
nous  sommes  des  descendants  des  Portugais,  des  Italiens,  des  Allemands,  des  Frangais  et  des 
autres  peuples  d'Europe. 

Je  vous  I'affirme  aussi,  nous  faisons  tous  les  efforts  possibles  pour  6tre  d'accord  avec  le 
mouvement  dvolutionniste  du  monde  civilis6.  Nous  sommes  les  plus  grands  producteurs  de 
caf6  au  monde,  nous  sommes  les  plus  grands  producteurs  de  caoutchouc,  pour  ne  pas  parler 
d'autres  choses. 

Pour  ne  pas  retenir  trop  longtemps  votre  attention,  je  vous  dirai  simplement,  que  j'ai 
pris  hier,  sur  cette  table,  un  journal  am^ricain,  oil  j'ai  eu  le  plaisir  de  lire  .  .  . 

(Translation) 
Gentlemen: 

I  beg  leave  to  speak  in  French,  because  my  national  tongue  is  not  recognized  as  an 
official  one,  and  I  cannot  after  thirty  days  of  study  of  the  English  language  express  my- 
self so  as  to  be  understootl. 

As  a  representative  of  the  Brazilian  Government  and  of  the  Federation  of  Com- 
mercial Associations  of  Brazil,  the  latter  being  chambers  of  commerce  —  we  have  or- 
ganized the  Federation  of  Commercial  Associations  at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  the  capital  —  as 
representative  also  of  the  Brokers'  Council  in  Ship-merchandise,  this  being  also  a 
brokers'  organization  under  government  control  —  I  wish  to  say  a  few  words.  These 
institutions  are  greatly  interested  in  the  check,  for  they  represent  the  whole  commerce, 
all  those  who  have  interest  in  commercial  relations,  in  Brazil.  If  I  have  the  courage 
to  speak  in  so  distinguished  and  so  competent  an  aivsembly,  it  is  simply  because  I  have 
wished,  in  the  presence  of  this  great  Congress  in  which  the  most  distinguished  repre- 

ksentatives  of  the  whole  world  are  united,  to  assert  the  existence  of  Brazil. 


206  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

I  beg  your  indulgence,  gentlemen,  if  I  speak  thus,  but  I  have  read  all  the  reports 
and  have  found  references  made  to  countries  which  are  certainly  worthy  to  be 
mentioned,  but  which  nevertheless  have  no  more  right  than  Brazil  to  be  studied. 

Brazil  is  a  ven,'  unfortunate  countrj*.  Her  efforts  to  become  known,  to  demonstrate 
her  capacity,  to  show  her  intelligence,  to  prove  that  she  follows  step  by  step  all  the 
movements  of  science,  of  industr>'  and  of  commerce,  are  ver>'  great;  and  Brazil's  name 
is  not  even  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  rights  of  the  people. 

Brazil,  gentlemen,  is  the  greatest  countrj'  of  South  America.  It  has  thirtj'-nine 
million  square  kilometers  of  extent,  and  all  its  lands  are  fertile,  utilizable  and  pro- 
ductive. It  is  the  land  of  coffee,  rubber,  and  if  the  world  possesses  a  rubber  industry 
it  is  due  to  the  great  forests  of  the  Amazon,  as  at  present  very  well  shown  at  the  In- 
ternational Rubber  Exposition  in  New  York.  Out  of  Brazil  came  the  seeds  that  have 
produced  the  great  crops  of  India,  Ceylon  and  other  Asiatic  countries. 

This  great  land  contains  twenty-two  million  inhabitants,  the  great  majority  white, 
with  a  ver>-  small  proportion  of  natives.  It  is  asked  everj-where  if  we  are  all  colored 
in  Brazil.  But  I  assert  upon  my  responsibility  as  a  Government  representative,  upon 
my  responsibility  as  a  representative  of  the  Federation  of  Commercial  Associations  of 
Brazil,  that  we  are  descendants  of  Portuguese,  Italians,  Germans,  Frenchmen  and  other 
European  peoples. 

I  assure  you  also  that  we  make  all  possible  efforts  to  attune  ourselves  with  the 
evolutionist  movement  of  the  civilized  world.  We  are  the  greatest  producers  of 
coffee  in  tlie  world,  the  greatest  producers  of  rubber,  not  to  speak  of  anything  else. 

I  do  not  wish  to  monopolize  your  attention  much  longer  but  will  tell  you  simply 
that  yesterday  I  took  from  this  table  an  American  newspaper,  in  which  I  read  with 
pleasure . . . 

Une  Voix:  Chdque  —  chdque. 

(Translation) 

A  Voice  :  Check  —  Check. 

M.  le  President:  Parlez  du  ch^ue. 

{Translation) 

Speak  about  the  check. 

M.  Almeida:  Jc  vous  demande  pardon.  Si  j'ai  fait  cette  exordc,  c'est  pour  vous  d6- 
montrer  pourquoi  nous  avons  le  droit  d'etre  entendus  sur  la  question  du  cheque.  Je  lis  dans 
ce  journal:  "Le  Br6sil  a  exportd  aux  fitats-Unis  pour  128,000,000  de  dollars  .  .  ." 

(Translation) 

I  beg  your  pardon.  If  I  made  this  diversion,  it  was  to  show  why  we  are  entitled 
to  be  heard  on  the  question  of  the  check.  I  read  in  that  newspaper:  "Brazil  has 
exported  into  the  United  States  merchandise  to  the  value  of  $128,000,000." 

Plusieurs  Voix :  Cheque  —  Cheque. 

(Translation) 

Sever.\l  Voices:  Check  —  Check. 

M.  le  President:  Parlons  du  ch^ue. 

(Translation) 

Let  us  speak  of  the  check. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  207 

M.  Almeida:  Eh  bien!  messieurs,  sur  la  question  du  cheque,  j'ai  le  plaisir  de  vous  dire 
que  le  Bretiil  a  proinulg;u6,  le  sept  aodt  de  cette  ami6e,  une  loi  renfermant  toutes  les  aspira- 
tions sur  le  cheque;  j'ai  le  plaisir  de  vous  dire  que  toutes  les  aspirations  exprim6es  dans  le 
rapport  de  M.  Apt  sont  dejil  indues  dans  la  loi  qui  est  prt^sentement  en  force  au  Br6sil.  Vingt- 
deux  millions  d'hommes  ont  di''j:\  mis  ces  choses  en  pratique. 

Sur  la  question  de  I'vmification  du  cheque,  la  loi  a  ddclard  que  tous  ceux  qui  auraient  des 
fonds  disponibles  dans  les  banques  ou  entres  les  mains  des  commcr^ants  —  et  c'est  U\  le  point 
int6ressant  —  j'ai  lu  dans  les  rapports  qu'il  y  a  une  grande  discussion  pour  savoir  si  le  cheque 
doit  6tre  tir6  seulement  contre  les  banques  et  les  associations  similaires.  —  Au  Br6sil,  on  a  eu 
I'idce  de  faciliter  la  circulation  du  cheque  et  en  mdme  temps  de  le  garantir  d'unc  fa^on  com- 
plete. 

Vous  savez,  messieurs,  que  ces  pays  nouveaux  n'ont  pas  autant  de  facilit^s  pour  la  cir- 
culation du  numeraire;  alors,  ils  ont  besoin  de  facihter  la  circulation  du  papier  qui  repr6sente 
I'argent;  mais  en  meme  temps,  ils  ont  I'obligation  de  garantir  cette  circulation,  de  fa^on  que 
le  commerce  n'ait  pas  de  suri)rises  ni  de  deceptions. 

Eh  bien!  nous  avons  6tabli,  k  I'article  premier  de  la  loi,  que  le  chi^que  pourrait  6tre  tir6 
contre  les  banques  et  contre  les  commergants.  Mais,  naturellement,  cette  expression,  "com- 
mergants,"  est  li6e  h  nos  transactions  commerciales;  c'est-^-dire  que  le  commergant,  dans  le 
sens  de  la  loi,  est  celui  qui  s'est  enregistr6  convenablement  selon  les  lois  respectives. 

La  loi  etablit  aussi  la  signification  du  mot  "fonds."  Qu'est-ce  que  Ton  entend  par  fonds? 
II  y  a  d'abord  les  sommes  existantes  en  comptes  courants  "banqueres."  Relativement  h.  ces 
fonds-h\,  il  n'y  a  pas  d'autre  exigence.  L^  oil  il  y  a  un  compte  courant  "banqudre,"  on  peut 
tirer  le  cheque  sans  aucune  autre  con.-^ideration.  Dans  le  cas  d'un  compte  courant  contrac- 
tuel,  ou  de  I'ouverture  d'un  credit,  pour  tirer  par  cheque  sur  ces  deux  especes  de  sommes 
dues,  il  faut  le  consentement  du  tire. 

La  loi  sur  la  capacity  active  est  conforme  aux  regies  generales  du  droit  civil.  Celui  qui 
jouit  de  tous  ses  droits  civils  a  la  capacity  active  pour  tirer. 

Relativement  h.  la  capacity  passive,  je  vous  ai  d6']k  expliqu6  la  difference  que  fait  la  loi 
entre  les  banques  et  les  commergants. 

Quant  h  la  forme  du  cheque,  not  re  loi  est  conforme  aux  aspirations  e.xprimues  dans  le 
rapport  de  ^L  Apt.  Notre  loi,  qui  n'est  pas  une  aspiration,  mais  une  loi  6crite  et  en  force, 
e.xige  le  mot  "cheque,"  6cnt  en  portugais,  —  c'est  notre  langue  —  ou  I'^quivalent  en  toute 
autre  langue.  EUe  exige  ensuite  le  nom  de  la  raison  sociale  ou  de  la  personne  qui  doit  payer. 
Elle  exige  encore  —  et  c'est  une  question  qui  a  6t6  trds  discut(5e  —  I'indication  du  heu  du 
paiement.  II  ne  suflBt  pas  d'indiquer  le  nom  de  la  banque,  il  faut  indiquer  la  branche  de 
cette  banque  sur  laquelle  on  tire  —  parce  qu'une  banque  peut  avoir  plusieurs  branches,  h 
differents  endroits.  Pour  que  le  cheque  .soit  exigible,  selon  notre  loi,  il  faut  que  Ton  indique 
tres  pr(5cisement  I'endroit  ou  doit  etre  pay6  le  cheque.  Cette  exigence  de  notre  loi,  I'indication 
prdcise  de  I'endroit  du  paiement,  est  la  realisation  de  I'une  de  vos  aspirations. 

Notre  loi  Etablit  aussi  —  et  en  cela,  elle  innove  sur  toutes  les  autres  lois  que  j'ai  vues  — 
que  le  cheque,  pour  etre  cheque,  doit  etre  h  vue.  Elle  dit  que  le  iir6,  qui  regoit  un  cheque 
mutil6,  im  cheque  dcchire,  un  cheque  jiortant  de  grosses  taches  d'encre,  avec  des  dates  sus- 
pectes,  avec  des  corrections,  peut  exiger  des  explications,  et  mdme  des  garanties.  Cela,  c'est 
ime  nouveaut<5.    J'en  fais  la  mention,  ce  sera  peut-^tre  utile. 

{Translation) 

Well,  Gentlemen,  as  regards  the  check,  I  am  pleased  to  say  that  Brazil  has  pro- 
mulgated, August  7th  of  this  year,  a  law  containing  all  her  ideas  concerning  the  check, 
and  I  am  pleased  to  say  that  all  these  aspirations  cxjire-ssed  in  Mr.  Apt's  rejiort  are 
already  included  in  the  law  which  is  now  enforced  in  Brazil.  Twenty-two  million  men 
have  already  put  thes^e  things  into  practice. 

As  regards  the  unification  of  the  check,  the  law  applies  to  all  persons  who  have 
deposits  which  they  can  make  use  of,  in  banks  or  in  the  hands  of  traders  —  and  that  is 


208  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

the  interest inR  point.  I  read  in  the  reports  that  a  great  discussion  is  going  on  to  find 
out  if  a  check  should  he  drawn  only  on  the  banks  and  equivalent  associations.  In 
Brazil  we  had  the  good  idea  of  facilitating  the  circulation  of  the  check  and  guaranteeing 
it  at  the  sjuiie  time  in  a  thorough  manner. 

You  know,  gentlemen,  that  these  new  countries  have  not  as  many  facilities  for 
the  circulation  of  cash;  they  need  therefore  to  facilitate  the  circulation  of  paper  repre- 
senting money.  But  at  the  same  time  they  have  the  obligation  of  guaranteeing  this  cir- 
culation in  such  a  way  as  not  to  cause  fraud  or  deceptions,  commercially. 

We  have  established,  article  first  of  the  law,  that  the  check  can  be  drawn  on  the 
banks  and  on  the  merchants.  But  naturally  this  ex]iression,  "merchant,"  is  connected 
with  our  commercial  transactions;  that  is  to  say,  the  merchant,  in  the  eyes  of  the  law, 
is  a  person  properly  registered. 

Thus  the  law  defines  al.so  the  meaning  of  the  word  "funds."  WTiat  are  funds? 
We  have  in  the  first  place  such  sums  as  exist  in  running  accounts  "banqudres."  Re- 
garding these  funds,  nothing  else  is  exacted.  Where  a  running  account  "banquere" 
exists,  a  check  may  be  drawn  without  any  further  consideration.  In  case  of  a  nmning 
accoxmt  covering  a  contract  or  the  opening  of  a  credit,  in  order  to  draw  a  check  against 
two  such  sorts  of  obligations,  the  consent  of  the  drawee  is  required. 

The  law  on  active  capacity  is  in  accord  with  the  general  clauses  of  the  civil  law. 
Whoever  enjoys  all  his  civil  rights  is  capable  of  drawing. 

Concerning  the  passive  capacity,  I  have  already  explained  to  you  the  difference  the 
law  makes  between  banks  and  merchants. 

Regarding  the  fonn  of  check,  our  law  agrees  with  the  tenets  expressed  in  Mr. 
Apt's  report.  Our  law  which  is  not  merelj"  an  aspiration  but  is  written  and  in  force, 
demands  the  word  "check,"  written  in  Portuguese,  our  tongue,  or  the  equivalent  in 
some  other  language.  It  demands  besides  the  name  of  the  firm  or  of  the  person  that 
will  have  to  pay.  It  also  demands,  and  this  question  has  been  very  much  discussed,  the 
indication  of  the  place  where  the  pajTnent  is  to  be  effected.  It  is  not  enough  to  indicate 
the  name  of  the  bank,  the  branch  of  that  bank  on  which  one  draws  must  be  indicated 
by  name,  because  a  bank  may  have  several  branches  at  different  places.  A  check  to  be 
demandable  according  to  our  law  must  bear  very  precisely  the  name  of  the  place  in 
which  the  check  is  to  be  paid.  This  demand  of  our  law,  namely,  the  precise  indication 
of  the  place  of  the  pajTnent,  is  the  realization  of  one  of  your  aspirations. 

Our  law  also  establishes,  and  this  is  an  innovation  on  all  other  laws  I  have  seen,  that 
the  check  must  be  at  sight.  It  says  that  the  drawee  who  receives  a  mutilated  check, 
or  a  torn  one,  or  one  bearing  big  ink-spots,  or  suspicious  dates  or  corrections,  may 
demand  explanations  and  even  guaranties.  This  is  an  innovation,  and  I  mention  it, 
because  it  may  be  found  useful. 

M.  le  President:  Comme  documentation. 

(Translation) 

As  a  document. 

M.  Almeida:  Oui.  Je  suppose  qu'il  n'est  pas  ndcessaire  d'entrer  dans  plus  d'expUca- 
tions  et  de  details.  J'ai  fait  traduirc  toute  notre  loi  en  fran^ais  et  en  anglais,  et  elle  sera  in- 
troduite  dans  les  travaux  du  Congrds. 

(Translation) 

Yes.  I  sujij)ose  that  it  is  not  neoessarj'  to  enter  into  more  explanations  or  details. 
I  have  had  a  translation  made  of  our  law  into  French  and  English,  and  it  will  be  intro- 
duced in  the  work  of  the  Congress. 

M.  le  President:  Nous  verserons  done  la  loi  Br^silienne  au  dossier  comme  documenta- 
tion.    Cette  loi,  (I-tant  la  r<?ali.sation  des  aspirations  du  Congrds,  est  trds  int<5ressante. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  209 

(Translation) 

We  shall  deposit  then  the  Brazilian  Law  among  the  official  papers  as  a  document. 
The  law,  being  a  realization  of  the  aspirations  of  the  Congress,  is  verj'  interesting. 

M.  le  President:  Messieurs,  je  profite  de  I'occasion  pour  vous  faire  quelques  petites  com- 
munications. 

Vous  savez  tous  que  Ton  se  propose  de  prendre  la  photographic  des  membres  du  Congr&s 
k  la  sortie  de  la  seance  de  ce  matin,  vraisemblablement  vers  midi  et  demi.  L'annonce  en  a 
6t6  faite  au  concert  d'hier  soir,  je  vous  la  repdte. 

Je  suis  prie  de  vous  faire  savoir  que,  par  invitation  spdciale  de  M.  A.  Lawrence  Lowell,  les 
d^ldgu^s  qui  dcsirent  visiter  TUniversite  de  Harvard  peuvent  se  joindre  H  une  soci^t^  qui  quit- 
tera  I'hotel  cet  aprt^s-midi,  de  suite  apres  la  prise  de  la  photographic. 

La  demi^re  communication  que  j'ai  k  faire  est  celle-ci:  Par  suite  de  retards  dans  la  re- 
ception des  notices  officielles  et  d'erreurs  de  correspondances,  qui  ont  6t6  en  dehors  du  con- 
trole  de  la  Chambre  de  commerce  de  Boston,  le  Congres  n'a  pas  6t6  infonne  en  temps  de  la 
designation  d'un  certain  nombre  de  dclegu^s  comme  reprdsentant  des  gouvemements.  Parmi 
ceux  dont  les  noms  n'ont  pas  6t6  inclus  dans  la  liste  imprim(5e  comme  represent  ant  leur  gou- 
vemement,  se  trouvent: 

^L  Angelo  S.\lmoiraghi,  de  Milan,  qui  est  membre  du  comit<S  permanent,  et  qui  est  aussi 
repr^sentant  officiel  du  gouvemement  de  Sa  Majesty  le  roi  d'ltalie. 

^L  0.  Di  Rosa,  consul  italien  h  Boston,  qui  repr(5sente  aussi  le  gouvemement  Italien. 

Le  Dr.  LEONn.\RD  Hochdorf,  repn5sentant  le  gouvemement  Autrichien. 

Le  Dr.  Edmund  Kunosi,  repn^sentant  le  gouvemement  Hongrois. 

AL  Abel  Pardo,  consul  g6n(5ral  de  1' Argentine  h,  New- York,  repr6sentant  la  R^publique 
Argentine. 

M.  S.  T.vMURA,  vice-pr6sident  de  la  Chambre  de  commerce  de  Kobe,  repr^sentant  le 
Japon. 

M.  Olof  Hjorth,  reprdsentant  la  SuMe. 

fividemment,  la  Chambre  de  commerce  de  Boston  s'e.xcuse  de  ces  omissions,  bien  invo- 
lontaires,  et  elle  me  charge  de  vous  exprimer  ses  regrets. 

S'il  y  a  d'autres  d614gu6s  reprdsentant  leurs  gouvemements,  la  Chambre  de  commerce 
de  Boston  leur  serait  trds  reconnaissante  de  vouloir  bien  se  faire  connaltre  au  secretaire  de 
la  Chambre. 

M.  Allard  a  la  parole. 

(Translation) 

I  take  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  make  to  you  a  few  announcements. 

The  delegates  are  reminded  that  immediately  after  this  morning's  session,  as  near 
the  hour  of  half  past  twelve  as  possible,  the  only  official  photograph  of  the  delegates  will 
be  taken.  This  annoimcement  has  been  made  at  the  concert  yesterday  evening  and  I 
repeat  it  to  you. 

By  special  invitation  of  Pres.  A.  Lawrence  Lowell  delegates  desiring  to  visit  Har- 
vard University  may  join  a  party  which  will  leave  the  hotel  this  noon  inmiediately  after 
the  taking  of  the  official  photograph. 

On  account  of  delays  in  the  receipt  of  the  official  notices  and  other  errors  in  corre- 
spondence which  have  been  outside  of  the  control  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
the  Congress  has  unfortunately  not  been  informed  of  the  appointment  of  a  number  of 
delegates  representing  govenmients. 

Among  those  whose  names  have  not  been  included  in  the  printed  list  as  representing 
their  govemments  are: 

Mr.  Angelo  Salmoiraghi,  of  Milan,  a  member  of  the  Permanent  Committee  and 
official  representative  of  the  Government  of  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Italy. 

Mr.  G.  DI  Rosa,  Italian  Consul  in  Boston,  who  also  represents  the  Italian 
Government. 


210  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Dr.  Leonhaud  IIochdorf,  representing  the  Austrian  Government. 

Dr.  Edmund  Kcnosi,  representing  the  Hungarian  Government. 

Mr.  Abel  Pardo,  Con.sul  General  of  /Vrgentina  at  New  York,  representing  the 
Argentine  Republic. 

Mr.  S.  Tamcra,  Vice-President  of  the  Kobe  Chamber  of  Commerce,  representing 
Japan. 

Mr.  Olof  Hjorth,  representing  Sweden. 

The  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  of  course,  wishes  me  to  express  its  regrets  for 
these  omi.ssions,  entirely  involuntary  on  its  part. 

If  there  are  other  delegates  who  represent  their  governments  we  shall  be  obhgcd  if 
they  will  show  their  credentials  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 
in  order  that  their  names  may  be  included  in  the  final  list. 

Mr.  Allard  has  the  floor. 

M.  Eugene  Allard,  President  of  the  Belgian  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris 

Messieurs: 

Dans  un  rapport  pr(5sent6  au  nom  do  la  Chambre  de  commerce  Beige  de  Paris,  mon 
Eminent  collogue,  M.  H.  A.  Rau,  a  indique  les  moyens  pratiques  pour  6tendre  I'usage  du 
cheque  et  restreindre  les  inconv6nients  et  les  risques  de  I'emploi  exag6r6  du  numeraire  et  des 
billets  de  banque.  S'il  ne  nous  appartient  pas  de  formuler  un  projet  de  loi  concemant  le 
cheque,  il  est  6vident  que  nous  devons  h  I'heure  actuelle  (5mettre  notre  avis  sur  la  l<?gislation 
la  meilleure.  Nous  sommes  pr6cis6ment  dans  une  situation  qui  nous  permet  de  preciser, 
d'une  manidre  approfondie,  ce  que  nous  voulons,  ce  que  le  commerce  mondial  exige  par  I'd'ta- 
blissement  du  chi^que. 

La  confi'rcnce  de  La  Haye  s'est  occup6e,  vous  vcncz  de  I'apprendrc,  de  la  legislation 
uniforme  du  cheque  pour  tons  les  pays.  Je  crois  qu'elle  s'est  occupde  (^galoment  de  la  \6g\s- 
lation  sur  le  cheque  pour  tous  les  pays,  les  desiderata  du  commerce  mondial;  mais  je  ne  sais 
si  la  conf(5rence  de  La  Haye  a  pris  pour  le  cheque  les  mdmes  decisions  qu'elle  a  prises  pour  la 
lettre  de  change. 

Nous  sommes  done  dans  I'ignorance  la  plus  complete  h  ce  sujet.  Si  mes  renseignements 
Bont  exacts,  il  parattrait  que  la  conference  de  La  Haj'e  a  renvoy(5  k  une  stance  prochaine 
I'examen  de  la  legislation  sur  le  cheque;  mais  il  est  un  fait  certain,  c'est  qu'en  proposant  un 
projet  de  legi.slation  sur  la  lettre  de  change,  la  conference  de  La  Have  a  bien  indique  ce  qu'etait 
une  leftre  de  change.  Elle  a  done  defini  la  lettre  de  change.  D'ailleurs,  toutcs  les  jurL'^pru- 
dences,  toutes  nos  lois  doiment  bien  une  definition  de  la  lettre  de  change.  Eh  bien  I  je  m'etends: 
dans  le  rapport  tr^s  remarquable  presente  par  M.  Otto  Tnmdler,  il  fait  absolument  abandon 
de  cettc  nece.ssite,  pour  nous  primordiale,  d'une  definition  du  cheque,  et  nous  ne  pouvons 
enti^rement  partager  cet  avis,  et  puisquc  les  rapporteurs  recommandent  m6me  de  faire  men- 
tion, dans  la  legislation  5,  venir,  des  conditions  principales  du  cheque,  il  nous  paralt  evident 
que  I'une  de  ces  conditions  est  prdcisement,  au  point  de  vue  international  et  interieur,  que  le 
cheque  ne  i>ui.sse  fitre  confondu  avec  un  autre  mstrumcnt  de  credit  souniis  ;\  des  stipulations 
legales  different es  de  cclles  du  cheque.  Sinon,  il  est  probable  cjue  dans  la  pratique  il  pourra 
se  presenter  et  il  se  presentera  certainement  des  inconvenients  et  des  conflits  cntre  la  legisla- 
tion regissant  le  cheque  et  celle  concemant  les  autre-s  instruments  de  credit. 

En  effct,  si  le  cheque  doit  —  et  c'est  U\  I'csprit  qui  a  preside  au  desir  general  d'une  legis- 
lation intcmationale  sur  la  matiere,  —  const ituer  un  substitut  au  numeraire  et  aux  billets  de 
banque,  il  faut  qu'il  jouisse  autant  que  possible  des  conditions  qui  donnent  k  ceux-ci  la  facilitd 
de  circulation  et  de  liberation  pour  les  paiements  auxquels  on  veut  que  le  cheque  puisse  ser- 
vir  lui-m6me. 

Dans  la  revue  que  font  les  rapporteurs  des  definitions  du  cheque  que  donne  la  legislation 
de  divers  pays,  ils  ne  rappellent  que  d'une  fa^cm  gdnerale  la  definition  des  pays  de  langue 
fran^aise.    Cependant,  parm   ceux-ci,  il  est  interessant  de  relever  la  definition  beige,  qui  est 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  211 

precise,  et  que  lea  rapporteure  ont  d'ailleurs  signalde.  Cette  definition,  d'aprSs  nous,  est  ab- 
solument  Tiinage  de  ce  qu'est  le  cheque.  La  loi  beige  de  1875  dit:  "Le  chdque  est  une  dele- 
gation de  paieiuent  au  comptant  et  ii  vue  sur  des  funds  disponibles."  Vous  voyez  comnie  le 
cheque  se  des.«aisit  de  la  lettre  de  change.  Eh  bien!  dans  ces  conditions-lii,  je  crois  que,  dans 
le  voeu  que  nous  devons  emettre,  nous  devons  deniamler,  nous  devons  ddfinir  exactement  ce 
que  nous  voulons,  et  cette  definition,  nous  la  donnons  par  la  loi  beige. 

Si,  dans  les  ditTerents  pays  ici  representes,  il  y  a  une  definition  meilleure,  messieurs,  nous 
sommes  tous  prets  h  nous  y  rallier.  Mais,  ne  rien  dire  du  tout,  laisscr  cette  definition  dans 
I'ombre,  eh  bien!  messieurs,  ce  n'est  pas  dire  ce  que  nous  voulons. 

Maintenant,  messieurs,  sur  les  autres  points  de  vue,  du  rapport  de  M.  Apt:  un  de  mes 
compatriotes,  M.  Christophe,  et  moi,  nous  sommes  absolument  d'accord,  et  je  ne  voudrais 
pas  retenir  plus  longtemps  le  voeu  indiquant  les  differentes  nuances  que  nous  pourrions  eta- 
blir.  Je  ne  veux  pas  abuser  de  vos  instants,  je  trouve  qu'avant  tout,  nous  devons  dire  ce  que 
nous  voulons,  et  pour  le  surplus,  les  details  sont  indiques  d'une  fa^on  complete,  d'une  faQon 
magistrale  dans  les  differents  rapports  dont  nous  avons  eu  connaissance.  Ces  rapports,  je  ne 
les  analyse  pas,  mais  je  vous  demande  surtout  que,  dans  le  voeu  que  vous  allez  emettre,  que 
vous  allez  envoyer  k  la  conference  de  La  Haye,  vous  disiez  bien  ce  que  vous  voulez,  et  c'est 
la  decision  que  je  vous  demande  d'adopter. 

{Translation) 
Gentlemen: 

In  a  report  presented  in  the  name  of  the  Belgian  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris 
my  eminent  colleague,  Mr.  H.  A.  Rau,  has  pointed  out  the  practical  means  for  extending 
the  emplojTnent  of  checks  and  for  reducing  the  inconveniences  and  risks  resulting  from 
the  extended  use  of  cash  and  bank  notes.  Even  though  it  may  not  be  our  part  to  draft 
a  law  relating  to  checks,  it  is  clear  that  we  should  at  this  time  express  our  opinion  as 
to  the  best  legislation.  We  are  in  exactly  the  position  to  permit  us  to  state  in  a  thorough 
manner  what  we  desire  and  what  is  required  by  the  world's  conmierce  through  the 
establishment  of  the  check. 

The  Hague  Conference,  as  you  have  just  learned,  has  occupied  itself  with  the  sub- 
ject of  uniform  legislation  relative  to  drafts  for  all  countries.  I  believe  it  ha.s  aho  taken 
up  the  question  of  international  legislation  relative  to  checks,  one  of  the  greatest  desires 
of  the  world's  commerce;  but  I  do  not  know  whether  the  conference  at  The  Hague  has 
adopted  for  checks  the  same  rules  which  it  has  made  for  bills  of  exchange. 

We  are  therefore  in  entire  ignorance  on  this  subject.  If  I  am  correctly  informed,  it 
appears  that  The  Hague  Conference  has  postponed  to  a  future  session  the  investigation 
of  legislation  regarding  checks  but  one  point  is  certain,  —  that  in  drawing  up  a  law 
for  bills  of  exchange  The  Hague  Conference  has  defined  what  a  bill  of  exchange  is.  More- 
over, all  our  jurisprudence,  all  our  laws  give  a  definition  of  a  bill  of  exchange.  In  the 
very  valuable  report  presented  by  Mr.  Otto  Trundler  he  absolutely  abjmilons  this  re- 
quirement which  seems  to  us  fundamental  for  a  definition  of  the  check.  We  cannot 
entirely  share  his  opinion  and  even  the  Reporters  themselves  recommend  that  future 
legislation  should  mention  the  principal  conditions  for  the  check.  It  appears  to  us 
clear  that  one  of  these  conditions,  both  in  regard  to  international  and  domestic  relations, 
is  that  the  check  should  not  be  confounded  with  some  other  instrument  of  credit,  sub- 
ject to  different  legal  stipulations  than  those  for  the  check.  Otherwise  it  is  probable 
that  in  practice  there  might  be,  and  certainly  would  be,  inconveniences  and  conflicts  be- 
tween the  legislation  relating  to  the  check  and  that  regulating  other  instrumental  of  credit. 
In  fact,  if  the  check  —  and  this  is  the  idea  which  hiis  in.spire<l  the  general  desire 
for  international  legislation  on  the  subject  —  is  to  constitute  a  .substitute  for  cash  and 
bank  notes,  it  must  as  far  as  possible  answer  to  the  conditions  which  give  these  latter 
their  facility  for  circulation  for  the  purpose  of  pajTnents  for  which  it  is  desired  to  employ 
the  check. 


212  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

In  the  summing  up  made  by  the  Reporters  of  the  definitions  of  the  check  given 
by  legi-shition  in  different  countries  they  only  mention  in  a  general  way  the  definition 
in  the  Fn-nch-speaking  countries.  Among  these,  however,  it  is  interesting  to  take  up 
the  Belgian  di-fmition,  which  is,  moreover,  exactly  what  the  Reporters  have  described. 
This  definition,  it  seems  to  us,  i.s  an  accurate  description  of  a  check  and  of  the  powers 
to  be  given  to  it.  The  Belgian  law  of  1873  says:  "The  check  Is  an  order  to  pay  in 
cash  and  at  sight  on  fimds  disposable."  You  see,  therefore,  how  the  check  distin- 
guishes iUself  from  the  bill  of  exchange.  Well,  under  the.se  conditions  I  beUeve  that  in 
the  resolve  which  we  may  a<lopt,  we  should  Jisk,  we  should  define  exactly  what  we  wish, 
and  this  definition  we  find  in  the  Belgian  law. 

If,  gentlemen,  there  is  among  the  different  countries  here  represented  a  better 
definition,  we  are  prepared  to  support  it.  But  to  say  nothing  at  all,  to  leave  this  defi- 
nition in  the  dark,  does  not  seem  to  be  saying  what  we  want. 

Now,  gt-ntlemen,  on  the  other  points  of  the  report  made  by  Mr.  Apt:  one  of  my 
compatriots,  Mr.  Christophe,  does  not  entirelj'  agree  with  us  and  I  do  not  wi.sh  to  delay 
the  vote  further  by  pointing  out  the  different  modifications  which  we  might  make.  I 
do  not  wish  to  abuse  your  time.  I  think,  though,  that  above  all  we  should  say  what 
we  want,  and  for  the  rest,  the  details  are  expres.sed  in  a  very  complete  and  masterly 
fjushion  in  the  different  reports  which  we  have  heard.  I  will  not  analyze  these  reports 
but  will  ask  again  that  in  the  resolve  which  you  are  about  to  adopt,  which  you  will  send 
to  the  conference  at  The  Hague,  you  state  clearly  what  you  want,  and  this  is  the  decision 
which  I  ask  you  to  reach. 

M.  le  President:  La  parole  est  h.  M.  Charles  Christophe. 

{Translation) 

Mr.  Charles  Christophe  has  the  floor. 


M.  Charles  Christophe,  Secretary  of  the  "  Cercle  Commercial  et  Industriel  "  of  Ghent;  Sec- 
rettery  of  the  I nlcTuational  Federation  of  Flax-Spinners'  Associations 

Messieurs: 

Le  Cercle  Commercial  et  Industriel  de  Gand  a  fait  connattre  toutes  ses  vues  au  sujet  de 
la  question  du  cheque  en  distribuant  aux  membres  du  Congrds  un  projet  complet  d'une  loi 
unifor.Tie  sur  le  cheque,  61abord,  au  nom  de  sa  section  juridique,  par  M.  Rolin,  professeur  k 
r University  de  Gand  et  secr6taire  de  I'ln-stitut  de  droit  international.  II  esp^re  que  cette 
contribution  au  travail  de  documentation  entrepris  sur  I'initiative  de  notre  comity  perma- 
nent, mc'Titera  I'attention  de  la  conference  de  La  Haye  chargde  d'dtablir  le  projet  ddfinitif 
d'une  loi  uniforme  sur  Ics  cheques. 

Au  nom  du  groupe  que  je  repr^sente  ici,  je  crois  toutefois  devoir  declarer  exprcssdment 
que  je  ne  puis  partagcr  I'avis  de  MM.  les  rapporteurs  Apt  et  Trumplcr  et  du  "Deutschen 
Handolstag,"  affinnant  rinutilit6  d'une  definition  du  cheque.  A  prdsent  qu'une  loi  uniforme 
sur  la  lettrc  de  change  va  6tre  mise  en  vigueur  dans  la  plupart  des  pays,  il  convient  de  mar- 
quer  nettement  ct  succinctement,  dans  la  loi  uniforme  projet^e,  en  quoi  le  chdque  diflf6re  de 
la  lettre  de  change.  II  importe  avant  tout  d'Ovitcr  que  les  cheques  ne  se  transfonnent  en 
lettres  de  change  marquees  et  ne  perdcnt  leur  caractcire  esscntiel,  qui  sera  toujours  d'6tre  un 
mode  de  paiemcnt. 

Je  me  rallie  done  aux  observations  pr6sent6es  i)ar  M.  Rau  commc  complement  de  son 
remarquablo  rapport,  au  sujet  de  la  n6ce.ssit6  d'une  definition  du  cheque.  Au  surjilus,  le 
"Deutsche  Ilandelstag"  lui-m6rac,  apr5s  avoir  affinn6  I'inutilite  d'une  definition  (declara- 
tion No.  1)  s'attache  ensuite  ii  delimiter  d'une  fagon  tr6s  precise  les  conditions  essentielles  du 
cheque.    Sur  ccs  conditions,  d'ailleurs,  I'accord  jjourra  se  faire  tr6s  facilement. 

Que  doit  6tre,  maintenant,  cette  definition  du  cheque?    C'est  la  conference  de  La  Haye, 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  213 

qui  a  mission  de  I'etablir.  Je  terminerai  par  une  seule  rcmarque  jl  ce  sujet.  La  definition 
que  propose  M.  Rau,  c'est-^-dire  cello  de  la  loi  beige  du  20  juin  1873,  pr6sente  en  effet  des 
avantages. 

"Le  cheque,  dit  le  l<5gislateur  beige,  est  une  d616gation  de  paiement  au  comptant  et  k  vue 
sur  des  fonds  dispouibles."  Notons  bicn  que  dans  ses  explications  sur  ce  qu'il  faut  entendre 
par  fonds  disjjoniblcs  lors  dc  remission  du  chtique,  le  rapporteur  do  la  loi  j\  la  duimbre  beige 
a  6te  extremenicnt  large:  il  y  a,  h,  son  sens,  des  fonds  disponibles  chcz  le  tiro  dis  que  celui-ci, 
sans  etre  debiteur  du  tireur,  I'a  autoris6  k  disposer  dc  certains  fonds  chez  lui.  Cola  devrait 
6videmment  sufiire,  mais  il  est  bon  de  le  dire  clairomcnt. 

II  semble,  dtis  lors,  possible  de  concilier  facilemcnt  la  notion  beige  du  chcique  avec  la 
notion  anglaise,  r^sultat  qu'il  faut  chercher  k  atteindre,  puisque  cette  demidre  notion  est,  au 
point  de  vue  mondial,  la  plus  repandue. 

Pour  no  pas  parlor  cpnime  I'a  fait  tout  il  I'heurc  le  d616gu6  du  Br6sil,  je  tiens  k  dire  que 
la  Bolgique,  tout  en  6tant  un  petit  pays,  tient  beaucoup  k  faire  entendre  sa  voix  dans  toutes 
les  questions,  aussi  bien  economiques  que  legislatives. 

(Translation) 
Gentlemen : 

The  "Cercle  Commercial  et  Industriel"  of  Ghent  has  expressed  all  its  views  on  the 
question  of  checks  by  handing  to  each  member  of  the  Congress  a  complete  scheme  of  a 
uniform  law  of  checks,  framed  on  behalf  of  its  juridical  section,  by  Mr.  Rolin,  professor 
in  the  University  of  Ghent  and  secretary  of  the  International  Law  Institute.  It  hopes 
that  this  contribution  to  the  work  of  documentation  undertaken  on  the  initiative  of  our 
Permanent  Committee  will  be  worthy  of  receiving  attention  from  The  Hague  Conference, 
trusted  with  the  elaboration  of  a  definitive  scheme  of  a  uniform  law  of  checks. 

In  the  name  of  the  group  of  which  I  am  here  the  representative,  I,  however,  believe 
it  my  duty  to  declare  expressly  that  I  cannot  be  of  the  same  opinion  as  the  Committee 
Reporters,  Messrs.  Apt  and  Trumplor,  and  as  "Der  Deutsche  Handelstag,"  who  assort 
the  uselessness  of  a  definition  of  the  check.  Now  that  a  uniform  law  relating  to  the  bill 
of  exchange  is  to  be  enforced  in  the  majority  of  countries,  it  is  convenient  to  dotennine 
clearly  and  concisely,  in  the  uniform  law  which  is  to  be  planned,  in  what  respect  the  chock 
differs  from  the  bill  of  exchange.  It  is  first  of  all  necessary  to  avoid  having  checks  trans- 
formed into  disguised  bills  of  exchange,  and  so  losing  their  essential  character,  that  of 
being  a  mode  of  payment. 

Therefore,  I  join  with  the  observations  presented  by  Mr.  Rau  as  a  complement 
to  his  remarkable  report,  about  the  necessity  of  a  definition  of  the  check.  Besides, 
"Der  Deutsche  Handelstag"  itself,  after  having  stated  the  uselessness  of  a  defini- 
tion (Declaration  No.  I)  proceeds  to  undertake  to  limit  the  essential  conditions  of  the 
check.     Moreover,  on  these  conditions,  the  agreement  may  bo  concluded  verj'  oiv-sily. 

What  must,  then,  be  this  definition  of  the  chock?  It  is  the  Conference  of  The 
Hague  which  has  been  entrusted  to  fix  it.  I  am  going  to  conclude  with  one  single  re- 
mark on  this  subject.  The  definition  which  Mr.  Rau  proposes,  that  is  to  say,  the 
definition  given  by  the  Belgian  law  of  June  20,  1873,  has  indeed  some  advantages. 

"The  check,"  says  the  Belgian  legislator,  "is  a  delegation  of  payment,  in  cash  and  at 
sight,  on  available  funds."  We  must  not  fail  to  note  that,  in  his  explanation  of  what 
we  must  understand  by  available  funds  at  the  time  the  check  is  Ls.sued,  the  reporter  of 
the  law  in  the  Belgian  Parliament  has  boon  very  liberal;  according  to  him,  there  are 
available  funds  at  the  drawee's  as  soon  as  the  latter,  without  being  a  debtor  of  the 
drawer,  has  alloweil  him  to  draw  upon  him  for  certain  funds.  This,  evidently,  ought  to 
be  sufficient,  but  it  Ls  convenient  to  point  it  out  clearly. 

It  seems,  then,  possible  to  make  agree  the  Belgian  notion  of  the  check  with  the  Eng- 
lish one,  a  result  that  we  must  strive  to  attain,  as  the  EngUsh  notion  is  most  widely  put  in 
practice. 


214  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS      OF 

Altliougli,  I  ilo  not  wi^h  to  speak  as  the  delegate  from  Brazil  has  ju.st  done,  I  insist 
that  Belgium,  although  a  small  countr>',  thinks  a  great  deal  of  participating  in  all  ques- 
tions, both  economic  and  legislative. 

M.  le  President:  Monsieur  Christophe,  vos  observations  ont  port<?  surtout  sur  la  defi- 
nition. Cest  un  des  details.  Kvidemment,  si  nous  entrons  dans  la  discussion  des  d<:!'tails, 
quand  nous  aurons  pari*!!'  de  la  d(''finition  du  cli^que,  nous  parlerons  du  tireur.  Tout  de  mfime 
je  partage  vos  obser\ations,  mais  je  pense  que  vous  ne  devez  pas  entrcr  dans  cette  voie.  Je 
domande  au  Congri^s  de  prendre  une  decision  que  nous  sommes  ici  simplement  pour  voter  sur 
le  point  de  savoir  s'il  est  dc'-sirablc  d'avoir  I'unification  du  cheque.  II  est  Evident  qu'on  tiendra 
bon  compte  de  vos  obser\'ations  dans  les  procd.s-verbaux,  mais  je  pense  que  je  ne  puis  pas 
demander  au  Congr6s  de  voter  sur  une  question  de  details.  Nous  serions  absolument  d6- 
bonl<?s  et  jwrtlus. 

La  parole  est  k  ^^  F.  FAiTurrLL  Begg. 

[Translation) 

Mr.  Christophe,  your  remarks  have  all  referred  to  the  definitions.  This  is  one 
of  the  details.  Clearly,  if  we  enter  into  the  discussion  of  details,  after  we  have  talked 
over  the  definition  of  the  check,  we  should  also  discuss  the  drawer.  At  the  same  time  I 
appreciate  your  remarks,  but  I  think  that  it  would  be  better  not  to  enter  on  this  track. 
I  will  ask  the  Congress  to  adopt  the  decision  that  we  are  here  solely  to  vote  on  this 
jjoint:  Is  it  desirable  to  have  the  unification  of  the  check?  It  is  of  course  understood 
that  due  record  will  be  made  of  your  remarks  in  the  proceedings,  but  I  do  not  think  that 
I  can  ask  the  Congress  to  vote  on  a  question  of  details.  We  should  be  absolutely  over- 
whelmed and  lost. 

Mr.  F.  Faitufull  Begg  has  the  floor. 


Mr.  F.  Faithful!  Begg,  Chairman  of  the  Council  of  the  London  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen: 

I  agree  very  largely  with  the  speaker  who  has  just  addressed  you.  The  point  of  his  re- 
marks, if  I  got  it,  was  this,  that  when  you  come  to  the  question  of  dealing  with  checks  j'ou 
must  not  import  into  the  character  of  the  check  any  of  the  complicated  matters  which  per- 
tain to  a  bill  of  exchange,  but  that  you  must  keep  in  view  the  fact  that  your  check  must  be 
the  simplest,  the  most  negotiable,  the  most  easily  handled  and  dealt-with  document  that 
you  can  po.ssibly  devi.se.  {"Hear,  hear!"  and  applause.)  You  must  simplify,  and  you  must 
not  complicate. 

In  England  —  and  in  London  particularly,  where  I  come  from  —  we  have  .some  experi- 
ence in  the  use  of  checks.  (Laughter.)  If  I  were  to  give  you  the  figures  —  which  I  cannot, 
becau.se  I  do  not  remember  them  —  of  the  number  and  amount  of  checks  which  pass  through 
the  London  clearing  house  in  one  day,  some  of  you,  at  all  events,  would  be  astonished.  I  go 
so  far  as  to  say  that  if  you  attempt  to  introduce  into  the  question  of  checks  the  complica- 
tions which  are  suggested  or  laid  down  in  this  paper,  you  will  nullify  your  efforts  and  you 
will  make  no  progress.  ("Hear,  hear!"  and  applause.)  I  say  to  you  deliberaloly  that  if  our 
system  of  checks  in  London  were  to  be  subjected  to  the  conditions  that  are  laid  down  in  this 
8umniar>',  the  busine,>;s  of  London  would  stop  ("right"),  and  we  could  not  make  any  prog- 
ress with  our  work. 

Therefore,  I  am  sorrj'  to  say  that  there  are  points,  several  points,  to  wliich  my  Chamber, 
the  London  Chamber,  cannot  under  any  circumstances  agree.  We  must  be  understood  as 
dissenting,  and,  if  you  will  allow  me,  I  will  in  the  briefest  manner  refer  to  these  points. 

The  first  point  on  which  I  would  say  a  word  is  point  No.  II  in  the  document  which  has 
been  circulated  this  morning.  It  says  that  the  check  should  onlj'  be  drawn  on  a  banker. 
Now  I  will  ])ut  a  conundrum  to  you.     What  is  a  banker?     We  have  endea\ored  to  dc6nc 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  215 

"banker"  in  England,  and  we  have  failed.  We  have  suggested  legislation  on  the  subject, 
and  it  has  been  iinjiossible,  because  we  cannot  define  "banker,"  and  if  you  cannot  define 
"banker"  in  England,  let  me  ask  you  how  you  are  going  to  define  "banker"  on  the  Conti- 
nent, or  how  you  are  going  to  define  "banker"  in  the  L'nitetl  States,  where  so  many  gentle- 
men of  honorable  disposition  carry  on  the  business  of  so-called  banking,  —  and  it  Ls  banking 
of  a  sort,  but  it  is  not  banking  in  any  strict  sense  that  could  be  laid  down  in  an  act  of  parlia- 
ment regulating  this  matter. 

The  second  point  to  which  I  wish  to  refer  is  in  No.  Ill,  referring  to  optional  particulars 
which  might  be  put  in  a  check.  I  am  afraid  that  that  might  mean  that  these  particulars 
would  be  insisted  upon,  and  the  first  statement  I  notice  here  is  "Statement  of  the  funds 
standing  to  the  credit  of  drawer."  (Lnughler.)  Now,  gentlemen,  from  my  point  of  view  that 
is  absolutely  impossible.  {"Hear,  hear!"  and  a  voice,  "We  u-ould  like  to  knoie  it!"  JoUoxced  by 
laughter.)  I  may  not  even  know  it  myself,  as  I  am  going  to  ex]3lain  to  you  in  a  moment. 
(Laughter.)  It  was  .suggested  by  the  last  speaker  that  if  he  had  an  authority  upon  his  banker 
to  draw  that  might  be  a  sufficient  provision  to  fulfil  the  condition. 

Let  me  tell  you  in  a  sentence  what  my  own  practice  is.  I  am  a  member  of  the  London 
stock  exchange.  We  have  fortnightly  settlements  —  what  you  call  on  the  Continent  "liqui- 
dations." On  the  day  of  the  session  we  have  all  the  transactions  of  the  fortnight  to  carry 
through.  What  do  we  do?  My  cashier  sends  the  documents  that  have  been  presented,  have 
been  e.xiimined  and  are  in  order,  takes  the  certification  of  the  clerk,  and  draws  a  check.  He 
brings  the  checks  all  day,  and,  Mr.  President,  the  last  thing  I  think  of  is,  how  much  money 
I  have  got  in  the  bank.  (Laughter.)  I  do  not  begin  to  think  of  that  until  three  or  half  past 
three  o'clock.  Then  they  bring  me  a  statement  showing  how  much  is  wanted.  If  we  are 
short,  we  go  to  the  bank  and  borrow  the  money;  if  we  are  over  —  which  frequently  happens, 
you  know  (laughter),  —  we  go  home  to  dinner  happy.    (Laughter.) 

That  is  the  universal  practice  in  London,  and  not  only  is  it  the  practice  but  it  is  a  law 
of  the  stock  exchange  in  London  that  a  broker  must  issue  a  check,  even  if  he  does  not  think 
he  is  able  to  pay  it,  or  may  not  be  able  to  pay  it.  He  must  give  a  check,  because  the  man 
presenting  must  have  his  document.  If  at  the  end  of  the  day  he  fails,  that  cannot  be  helped, 
but  it  is  his  duty  to  issue  the  check  in  order  that  the  transaction  may  be  carrieil  through. 

Therefore,  I  say,  any  statement  of  the  funds  standing  to  the  credit  of  the  drawer  is  im- 
possible. I  couldn't  tell  how  much  I  had,  and  wouldn't  wish  to  know  how  much  I  had,  to  my 
credit  at  any  particular  moment. 

In  regard  to  point  No.  VII,  as  to  the  time  allowed  for  presentation.  I  will  state  the 
situation  on  that  matter  with  us,  as  a  matter  of  practice.  The  time  has  been  reduced  in 
practice  to  three  months,  but  I  think  it  would  be  a  wrong  thing  to  lay  down  any  fixed  or 
hard  and  fast  nile  in  regard  to  that. 

Point  No.  VIII:  It  is  suggested  there  that  the  drawee  require  a  receipt.  "As  to  pay- 
ment, it  will  be  neces.sarj'  to  stipulate  that  the  drawee  can  require  a  receipt."  That  means  a 
duplicating  or  doubling,  if  insisted  on,  of  the  number  of  documents  to  be  handled,  because 
each  check  has  to  be  accompanied  by  a  receipt.  I  do  not  quite  see  how  it  is  to  be  worked 
out.  It  comes  under  my  heading  of  complications.  You  are  going  to  double  the  number  of 
documents  and  going  to  introduce  congestion,  when  you  ought  to  have  simplicity. 

Point  No.  IX:  "The  countermanding  of  a  check  shouki  not  be  permitted  until  after  the 
time  allowed  for  presentation  has  elapsed."  I  see  that  by  the  Gennan  law  that  is  a  matter 
of  ten  days.  That  again,  gentlemen,  is  impracticable.  The  drawer  of  a  check  may  find  withm 
five  minutes  after  having  i.ssued  it  that  he  has  been  .swindled.  ("Hear,  hear!")  In  practice 
with  us  I  am  at  liberty  to  send  over  to  my  banker  and  stop  payment  on  the  instant  I  tliscover 
that  I  have  been  taken  in.  ("Hear,  hear!")  Here  again  you  must  not  introduce  complexity; 
you  must  introduce  simplicity  into  your  practice. 

I  have  a  practical  suggestion  to  conclude  with,  and  the  practical  suggestion,  sir,  is  this: 
that  a  small  committee  representing  this  Congress  should  be  appointed  to  come  over  to  Lon- 
don and  spend  a  few  weeks  examining  our  clearing-house  system  and  our  manner  of  handling 


216  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

checks.  We  will  be  ver>'  polite  with  that  committee;  we  will  imdertake  to  look  after  them 
while  in  Ixmdon  and  give  them  all  the  information  in  our  power,  and  I  am  sure  they  will 
agree  with  nie  after  they  have  had  that  information  that  these  complications  are  impossible, 
and  that  if  you  attempt  to  introduce  the  complications  to  which  I  have  referred  j'ou  will 
stultify  your  proceedings  and  negative  your  action.    (Applause.) 

M.  le  President:  11  est  int<5ressant  d'avoir  les  ^changes  de  \-ues.  II  est  <?^•ident  que 
M.  Apt  a  une  opinion;  M.  Christophe  nous  en  a  donn<?  une  autre;  M.  Begg  vient  dc  nous  en 
donner  une  autre  encore.  Maintenant,  messieurs,  pas  de  d(5tail8.  Je  pense  que  tout  le  monde 
est  d'accord  pour  dire  qu'il  est  desirable  d'avoir  I'unification  du  chc-quc  de  tous  les  pays;  c'est 
en  somme  la  seule  chose  qu'on  demande  au  Congr^. 

La  parole  est  ^  M.  M.oc  Ricuter. 

{Translation) 

It  is  interesting  to  have  exchanges  of  views.  It  is  evident  that  Mr.  Apt  has  one 
opinion;  Mr.  Christophe  has  given  us  another;  Mr.  Begg  has  just  given  us  still  another. 
Now,  gentlemen,  no  details.  I  think  that  evcn.body  is  agreed  that  it  is  desirable  to 
have  a  unification  of  the  check  in  all  countries;  that  is,  after  all,  the  only  thing  that 
is  asked  of  the  Congress. 

Mr.  M.vx  RicHTER  has  the  floor. 

Herr  Max  Richter,  Member  of  "Die  Altesten  der  Kaufmannschaft  von  Berlin" 

Nach  den  Erkliirungen  des  Herm  Prasidenten  konnte  ich  eigentUch  auf  das  Wort  ver- 
zichten.  Wir  haben  gesehen.  daC  bei  der  Beratung  der  Einzelheiten  durchweg  verschicdene 
Meinimgen  auftreten.  Das  haben  wir  schon  gesehen  bei  der  Nr.  I,  worin  gesagt  ist,  daC 
davon  abgesehen  wenlen  soil,  eine  Definition  des  Schecks  zu  geben.  Dieser  Vorschlag  steht 
zum  BeL*piel  dem  deutschen  Scheckrechte  direkt  entgegen,  welches  mit  dem  belgi.-=chen  Scheck- 
rechte  iibereinstimmt,  und  das  belgische  Scheckrecht  hat  zweifellos  eine  vorziigliche  Erklarung 
dariiber,  was  ein  Scheck  darstellen  soil.  In  gleicher  Weise  ist  das  deutsche  Recht  bisher  aus- 
gefiihrt  gewesen. 

Meine  Herren,  in  England  und  bei  den  englisch-sprechenden  Nationen,  wie  in  Amerika, 
existiert  keine  Erklarung  daruber,  was  ein  Scheck  darstellen  soil.  Dieses  betreffend,  hat 
man  naturgemaC,  namentlich  mit  Riicksicht  darauf,  daC  man  in  England,  London,  einige 
Erfahrungen  im  Scheck verkehr  hat  —  wie  Herr  Begg  soeben  sagte  —  darauf  verzichtet,  eine 
Deklaration  des  Schecks  zu  geben. 

So  geht  die  Sache  weiter,  und  wenn  wir  jeden  einzelnen  der  Punkte  durchberaten  mussen, 
so  mussen  wir  unseron  KongreC  verlilngem.  Deshalb  trete  ich  der  Ansicht  unseres  Herm 
Prasidenten  bei  und  meine.  daC  wir  uns  darauf  beschninken,  hier  einfach  zu  erklaren  als  ein- 
stimmige  Meinung  aller  hier  vertretenen  Nationen,  daB  versucht  werden  soil,  ein  einheithches 
Scheckrecht  fiir  den  ^^'elthandel  zu  schaffen. 

{Translation) 

After  the  explanations  of  the  President  it  may  be  scarcely  necessan.'  for  me  to  take 
the  floor.  We  have  seen  during  the  consideration  of  details  that  many  different  opinions 
are  represented.  This  w:is  already  noted  in  the  discussion  of  item  I  which  states  that 
no  attempt  should  be  made  to  give  a  definition  of  the  check.  This  proposal  is  for  in- 
stance directly  opposed  to  the  German  check  law,  which  agrees  with  the  Belgian  check 
law,  so  that  the  Belgian  check  law  doubtless  contains  an  express  declaration  as  to  what 
shall  constitute  a  check.   The  German  law  has  been  hitherto  enforced  in  this  manner. 

In  England  and  among  the  English-speaking  nations,  as  the  United  States,  there  is 
no  regulation  as  to  the  form  of  the  check.  In  regan.1  to  this,  it  was  natural  enough,  — 
in  view  of  the  experience  in  England,  London,  as  Mr.  Begg  has  just  said,  —  that  they 
refrained  from  giving  a  definition  of  the  check. 


y 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  217 

And  so  it  goes,  and  if  we  must  debate  each  individual  point  we  should  be  obliged  to 
prolong  our  Congress.  For  this  reason  I  agree  with  the  view  of  our  President  and  am 
of  the  opinion  that  we  should  limit  ourselves  to  simply  stating  as  the  unanimous  opinion 
of  all  nations  represented  here  that  an  attempt  should  be  made  to  create  a  uniform  check 
law  for  international  business. 

Dr.  Soetbeer  (Berlin):  Ich  mcichte  nur  ein  Mifiverstandnis  aufkliiren  gegenliber  dem 
verehrton  llerni  aus  London,  d;i.s  sioh  auf  Nuinmer  III  bezieht,  wo  es  heilk:  "The  check 
might  also  contain  optional  particulars  such  as:  Statement  of  the  funds  standing  to  the  credit 
of  drawer."  Der  Herr  hat  es  so  verstanden,  daB  dort  die  Summe  dcs  Guthabens  stehen  sollte. 
Das  ist  nicht  die  Meinung.  Werm  das  die  Meinung  wiire,  wiirde  ich  es  ebenso  komisch  und 
lacherlich  finden,  wic  die  Herren  aus  England.  Die  Meinung  des  deutschen  Vorschlags  ist 
lediglich  die,  dalJ  es  nicht  notig,  abcr  zugelassen  sei,  in  dem  Scheck  zu  sagen :  Zahlen  Sie  auf 
mein  Guthaben.    Das  ist  die  ganze  Bedeutimg  dieser  Sache,  nicht  der  Betrag  des  Guthabens. 

(Translation) 

I  wish  to  clear  away  a  misunderstanding  on  the  part  of  the  gentleman  from  London 
in  regard  to  item  III,  which  reads:  "The  check  might  also  contain  optional  particulars 
such  as:  Statement  of  the  fund  standing  to  the  credit  of  drawer."  The  gentleman  has 
understood  that  this  was  intended  to  mean  the  indication  of  the  amount  of  the  funds. 
This  is  not  the  meaning.  Were  this  the  intention  I  should  myself  consider  it  as  comical 
and  absurd  as  do  the  gentlemen  from  England.  The  intention  of  the  German  proposal 
is  simply  that  it  is  not  essential,  but  is  permissible  to  state  on  the  check:  Pay  from  my 
funds.  This  is  the  whole  intention  of  this  clause,  and  it  does  not  refer  to  the  amount  of 
the  balance. 

(Dr.  Soetbeer  continued  in  English  as  follows:) 

I  shall  endeavor  to  say  in  English  for  the  gentlemen  who  do  not  understand  German, 
that  the  sense  of  No.  Ill,  which  was  questioned  by  the  honorable  gentleman  from  London,  \Caa 
not  that  the  "statement  of  funds  standing  to  the  credit  of  the  drawer"  should  give  the  amount 
of  the  funds,  but  only  that  funds  or  money  are  to  the  credit  of  the  man  who  draws  the  check. 

Mr.  Begg:  Am  I  entitled  to  explain,  sir?  What  I  mean  is  this  —  that  there  should  be 
no  stipulation  that  there  should  be  funds;  that  I  should  be  entitled  to  draw  at  my  own  risk, 
whether  1  have  funds  or  not. 

Dr.  Soetbeer:  Yes,  sir,  I  should  say  it  should  be  an  optional  particular. 

The  President:  Optional. 

Dr.  Soetbeer:  If  a  man  is  of  your  opinion  he  may  get  caught. 

Mr.  Begg:  All  right. 

M.  le  President:  Ces  questions  sont  done  des  questions  de  d6tail.  Nous  restons  devant 
le  princii)e  de  I'unification  du  chdque. 

Toutes  les  observations  qui  ont  6t<5  pr6sent<5es  sont  intdressantes  les  unes  et  les  autrcs,  et 
nous  en  arrivons  done  i  cette  conclusion  que  nous  dcvons  nous  prononcer  sur  le  fait  de  savoir 
s'il  est  desirable  de  voir  6tablir  I'unification  de  la  loi  sur  le  cheque. 

M.  Apt  a  demand^  la  parole  pour  quelques  demiers  mots. 

(Translation) 

These  questions  are,  after  all,  questions  of  detail.    The  question  which  we  have  before 

us  is  the  principle  of  the  unification  of  the  check.    All  the  observations  which  have  been 

presented  are  interesting,  and  we  come  now  to  the  conclusion  that  we  ought  to  pass 

upon  the  question  whether  it  is  desirable  to  establish  the  unification  of  the  law  of  checks. 

Mr.  Apt  has  asked  the  floor  for  a  few  closing  words. 


218  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Dr.  Max  Apt  (Berlin) 

Irb  luochte  nooh  einmal  zum  Ausdruck  bringcn,  was  bereits  in  dem  Bericht  geschehen  ist, 
dafl  die  lycit.satie  des  HandcLstags  Ihnen  nicht  vorgelegt  worden  sind,  damit  Sie  t^ic  hier  in 
den  Kinzclheiten  annehmen,  .sondem  lediglich  als  ein  Ausdruck  derjenigen  Ansichten,  die  man 
in  Dout^chhind  uber  diese  Tnigc  hat.  Es  ist  ganz  selbstven^tiindlich  und  war  auch  vorausge- 
Behen  wonien,  daC  man  in  anderen  Liindem  cine  verschicdene  Auffassimg  hat,  und  es  war 
auCeronientHch  wertvoll,  diese  verschiedenen  Auffassungcn  hier  zu  boren,  und  ich  bin  iiber- 
zeugt,  daC  wenn  die  diplomatische  Staaten-Konferenz  demniichst  oder  im  niichsten  Jahre 
xusammengcrufen  \\m\,  urn  die.«c  Scheckfrage  zu  Ende  zu  fiihren,  daC  dann  die  Bedenken, 
die  hier  in  Ik'zug  auf  die  Einzelheiten  geiiuCert  worden  sind,  ihre  Benicksichtigung  finden  wer- 
den.  Auch  ist  es,  wie  das  bei  dem  Weltwechselrccht  geschehen  ist,  bei  alien  diesen  Fragen  so, 
daO,  um  die  Einheitlichkeit  eines  dcrartigen  Gesetzes  durchzufiihren,  bei  den  cinzelnen  Punkten 
Vorbohaltc  fiir  die  einzelnen  Regierungen  gemacht  werden,  damit  die  Einzelregierungen  in 
der  Luge  sind,  trotz  der  Vereinheitlichung  des  gimzen  Gesetzes  ihre  Rechtsauffassung  durch- 
EufiiluTjn.  Infolgedessen  bitte  ich  Sie,  iiber  dieser  Erorterung  der  Einzelheiten  den  Hauptge- 
sichtspunkt  nicht  aus  <lem  Augc  zu  lassen,  der  dahin  geht,  daC  diese  Vereinheitlichung  der 
Schcckrechtc  nicht  nur  wimschenswcrt,  sondem  bei  gutem  Willen  durchfiihrbar  ist.  Infolge- 
dessen werde  ich  mich  beschninken,  lediglich  unter  Nr.  I  den  Satz  zur  Abstimmung  bringen 
ru  lassen,  dafi  die  Vereinheitlichung  der  Scheckrechte  nicht  nur  wiinschenswert,  sondem  auch 
durchfiihrbar  ist.  Dagcgen  mochte  ich  Sie  bitten,  auCerdem  noch  der  Idee  Ilu-e  Sympathie 
zum  Ausdruck  zu  bringen,  daC  ein  Weltgerichtshof  geschaffen  werden  kann  fiir  die  Ausle- 
gung  der  Fragen  des  Weltscheckrcchts  und  Weltwechselrechts  in  letzter  Instanz. 

(Translation) 

I  wish  to  emphasize  once  more  that  which  has  already  been  laid  stress  upon  in  the 
report,  —  that  is  to  say,  that  the  fundamental  propositions  of  the  "Handclstag"  have  not 
been  submitted  to  you  in  order  that  you  should  accept  them  here  in  all  their  details, 
but  merely  as  an  expression  of  those  views  which  are  entertained  in  Germany  concern- 
ing this  question.  It  is  quite  self-evident  and  has  been  foreseen,  that  in  other  coun- 
tries a  conviction  of  a  different  character  would  exist,  and  it  was  extremely  valuable  to 
hear  those  various  convictions;  and  I  feel  convinced  that  when  the  diplomatic  confer- 
ence of  the  States  will  be  called  together  soon,  perhaps  in  the  coming  year,  in  order  to 
bring  to  a  successful  end  the  question  of  checks,  that  then  the  doubt  which  has  been 
expressed  here  as  regards  these  various  details  will  be  taken  into  proper  consideration. 
Moreover,  all  this  has  also  been  done  in  the  case  of  the  international  law  on  bills  of 
exchange.  It  is  to  be  e.xpected  that,  in  carrj'ing  to  a  successful  end  a  uniform  law,  the 
various  goveminents  may  make  certain  reservations  as  regards  single  points  in  order  that 
the  individual  governments  may  be  in  a  position  to  carry  out  their  idea  as  to  interpreta- 
tion or  judicial  i)rinciple  in  spite  of  the  unification  of  the  entire  law.  In  consequence 
thereof  I  would  request  you  that  when  discussing  the  details  you  do  not  lose  sight  of 
the  principal  point,  and  that  point  is  that  this  unification  of  the  check  law  is  not  only 
highly  desirable  but  can  be  carried  out  provided  there  is  a  desire  to  do  so.  In  conse- 
quence thereof  I  shall  confine  myself  under  No.  I,  solely  to  the  resolution  that  the  uni- 
fication of  the  check  law  is  not  only  desirable  but  is  also  a  thing  that  can  be  actually 
carried  into  effect.  On  the  other  hand,  I  would  request  that  besides  that  you  also 
express  your  sympathy  with  the  idea  that  there  can  be  created  an  international  court 
for  the  interpretation  of  questions  of  the  universal  check  law  and  the  universal  law  of 
bills  of  exchange  as  the  court  of  last  resort. 

M.  le  President:  11  y  a  done  deux  points  sur  lesquels  je  d6sire  consulter  I'assemblde. 
Le  premier  jujint  est  celui-ci,  sur  lequel  tout  le  monde  semble  d'accord:  I'unification  de  la  loi 
sur  le  ch£-que  est  d^-sirablc.    Je  vous  consulte.    Ceux  qui  sont  d'avis  d'adopter  cette  motion 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  219 

telle  que  prdsent^e,  levcz  la  main.    (Levle  de  iriains  ghi6rale.)     L'dpreuve  contraire.    (Personne 
ne  Ibve  la  main.)    II  n'y  a  pas  d'opposition. 

{Translation) 

There  are  two  points  upon  which  I  desire  to  consult  the  meeting.  The  first  point  is 
this,  upon  which  every  one  seems  to  be  agreed,  that  the  unification  of  legislation  relative 
to  checks  is  desirable.  I  put  the  motion.  Those  in  favor  of  adopting  the  motion  as 
matle,  will  please  raise  their  hands.  {General  raising  of  hands.)  Contrary  minded?  {No 
hands  raised.)    There  is  no  opposition. 

Un  Delegue:  Seulement,  je  ne  suis  pas  sflr  que  tout  le  monde  ait  compris  ce  que  vous 
avez  dit. 

{Translation) 

A  Delegate:  I  am  not  quite  sure  that  every  one  understood  what  you  said. 

Mr.  Otto  Miinsterberg  (Danzig,  Germany):  I  am  not  quite  sure,  gentlemen,  if  you 
have  all  understood  what  Mr.  President  said.  {"No.")  That  is  what  I  thought.  The  Presi- 
dent said  that  we  shall  be  unanimous,  very  likely,  upon  the  first  motion  which  has  been  laid 
before  you  —  that  we  are  all  unanimous  on  the  resolution  that  it  is  desirable  to  have  a  unity 
of  the  law  of  checks  for  the  whole  world.  I  believe  we  are  absolutely  unanimous.  That  is 
all  I  wished  to  explain. 

Mr.  R.  H.  Curry  (Nassau,  Bahaynas):  Mr.  President,  do  I  understand  that  the  remarks 
made  by  the  gentleman  representing  the  London  Chamber  of  Commerce  go  for  nothing? 
How  will  he  have  the  right  to  make  an  amendment  after  we  agree  to  this? 

Mr.  Begg:  We  do  not  agree. 

M.  le  President:  Nous  n'avons  pas  h  entrer  dans  les  details;  c'est  la  question  gdndrale. 
Les  Allemands  ont  une  fa^on  de  comprendre  les  choses,  les  Anglais  en  ont  une  autre,  mais 
au-dessus  de  tout  cela,  je  puis  vous  demander:  Etes-vous  d'avis  qu'il  est  desirable  d'avoir 
I'unification  d'une  loi  sur  les  cheques?    C'est  la  question  de  principe,  n'est-ce  pas? 

{Translation) 

We  have  not  got  to  enter  into  details;  it  is  the  general  question.  The  Germans 
have  one  way  of  understanding  things,  the  Englishmen  have  another,  but  above  all  that 
I  could  ask  you,  are  you  of  the  opinion  that  a  law  on  the  unification  of  checks  is  desir- 
able?   That  is  the  question  of  principle,  is  it  not? 

Plusieurs  Voix:  Oui,  oui,  oui. 

{Translation) 

Several  Voices:  Yes,  yes,  yes. 

M.  Begg:  Le  principe  g6n<5ral,  mais  pas  de  d(5tails. 

{Translation) 

The  general  principle,  but  no  details. 

M.  le  President:  Sommes-nous  d'accord?    II  n'y  a  pas  de  malentendu? 

{Translation) 

Are  we  agreed?    Is  there  no  misunderstanding? 

Plusieurs  Voix:  Oui,  oui. 

{Translation) 

Several  Voices:  Yc.",  yes. 


220  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

M.  le  President:  L'<^preuve  contrairc.    (Personne  ne  Ih'e  la  main.)    Adopt6  a  I'unanimit^. 
Maintc-riiint.  il  y  a  un  second  point  propofK^-  par  M.  Apt. 

(Tran-Blation) 

ITiosc  opposed?     {No  hands  are  raised.)     Adopted  unanimously. 
Now,  there  is  a  second  jwint  offered  by  Mr.  Apt. 

(Reading  in  English) 

"A  ncccysar^'  complomcnt  to  the  rroation  of  a  universal  law  on  bills  of  exchange  and 
check.H  is  the  creation  of  a  high  court  at  The  llaguo  which  will  deride  as  a  court  of  hu^t  appeal 
controvcniica  regarding  questions  invidvinn  the  univcr-al  law  uf  bills  of  exchange  and  checks." 

This  i.s  another  propo.sition. 

Mr.  Miinsterberg:  Well,  Gentlemen,  the  second  proposition  has  been  read  in  Engli.sh, 
French  and  Gennan.  To  prevent  misunderstanding,  I  will  read  in  English  what  has  been 
proposed  in  the  report  of  Mr.  Apt: 

"I  have  explained  that  the  differences  in  the  law.s  of  the  check  are  not  so  great  that  it 
will  be  impossible  to  realize  the  unification.  And  I  hope  that  even  if  you  are  not  all  in  perfect 
agreement  with  me,  at  least  I  hope  you  will  be  in  sympathy  with  the  unification  of  the  law  of  the 
check.  Hut  it  is  not  sufTicient  that  the  laws  of  the  check  and  exchange  are  unified,  it  is  still 
more  ncce.ssar>'  that  a  high  court  may  be  established  for  the  interpretation  of  the  questions 
concerning  the  unified  laws  of  the  check  and  exchange." 

Tliat  h.-vs  reference  to  the  present  court,  the  tribunal  at  The  Hague,  and  the  Reporter, 
Mr.  .Apt,  wi.shes  that  the  Congress  express  its  consent  that  the  same  tribunal,  the  court  of 
arbitration,  should  be  as  well  for  checks  as  for  letters  of  exchange,  drafts,  liquidations.  That 
is  what  is  prf)posed  now. 

M.  le  President:  La  proposition  de  ^L  Apt  en  second  lieu,  je  vais  la  mettre  en  fran^ais: 
"II  y  aurait  un  tribunal  qui  serait  en  quclque  sorte  une  cour  d'appel  pour  les  proems  rclatifs 
A  la  fois  aux  lettres  de  change  et  aux  cheques."  VoUi  l'id(5e  de  M.  Apt.  Tout  le  monde  a 
done  bien  compris.  Que  ceux  qui  sont  d'avis  d'adopter  ce  vccu  —  c'est  un  voeu  —  veulent  bien 
lever  la  main.  (Levie  de  mains  des  d6Ugu6s.)  L'^preuve  contraire.  {Levie  de  mains  de  cer- 
tains dtUguis.) 

(Translation) 

I  will  put  into  French  Mr.  Apt's  second  proposition:  "That  there  should  be  a  tribu- 
nal which  would  be  in  a  way  a  court  of  appeals  for  suits  concerning  at  the  same  time 
bills  of  exchange  and  checks."  That  is  Mr.  Apt's  idea.  It  is  well  understood  by  all. 
Tho.se  who  favor  the  wish,  for  it  is  a  wish,  pleai<e  raise  their  hand.  (Raising  of  hands 
of  the  delegates.)  Those  opposed  please  raise  the  hand.  (Raising  of  hands  of  some  dele- 
gates.) 

Mr.  Miinsterberg:  Gentlemen,  I  believe  there  is  again  a  misunderstanding.  I  do  not 
think  we  ought  to  vote  for  such  a  question  simply  bj*  a  majority.  I  see  that  our  English  friends, 
for  instance,  unanimously  arc  against  this  point,  and  to  my  mind  it  would  be  useless  to  adopt 
such  a  resolution  here  if  such  a  powerful  bodj-  of  men  of  business  as  those  of  England,  the  whole 
iJritish  Empire,  were  against  it.  So  I  think  it  would  better  not  to  take  a  vote  at  all  on  the 
second  point.  ("Hear,  hear!"  and  applause.)  We  have  expressed  ourselves,  and  we  have 
talked  about  the  matter,  and  now  I  think  we  ought  to  leave  it  alone  and  say  we  are  satisfied  to 
have  the  first  point  arranged  —  that  is,  unanimously  adopted,  —  and  leave  the  second  point 
for  the  future,  and  hope  that  what  we  have  .said  ourselves  here  between  each  other  will  tend 
to  the  general  adoption  of  such  a  tribunal,  the  Court  of  Arbitration  at  The  Hague,  or  what- 
ever it  may  be. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  221 

Dr.  Soetbeer  (Berlin):  Ich  mochte  nocli  einmal  das  Wort  ergreifen,  urn  zu  erkliiren, 
daC  aurh  untor  ilcn  doutschen  Dclegierten  die  Mcinungen  iibcr  dioson  Punkt  auscinandergohen, 
den  Punkt,  der  bei  uns  nicht  t^tudiert  worden  ist  und  daraiif  hinauslauft,  da(5  wir  einen  Teil 
der  Rechtsfrage,  cine  Abzweigung  eines  Teils  der  Rechtssprcchung  an  einen  intemationalen 
Gerichtshof  stattfinden  la-s^jcn.  Ich  wurde  es  auch  flir  wiinschenswert  haiten,  wenn  dieser 
Antrag  zuriickgczogen  wiirde,  und  man  sich  auf  die  Abstinimung  beschriinkte,  die  wir  so- 
eben  vorgenommen  haben. 

(Translation) 

I  would  like  to  make  a  further  statement,  which  is,  that  opinions  differ  also  among 
the  German  delegates  on  this  point,  which  has  not  been  studied  by  us,  and  the  effect  of 
which  is  to  transfer  to  an  international  court  a  part  of  the  legal  proceedings,  or,  as  it 
were,  a  branch  of  the  judicature.  I  woulil  also  consider  it  desirable  that  this  motion 
should  be  withdrawn  and  that  the  Congress  should  confine  itself  to  the  vote  which  has 
just  been  taken. 

Mr.  Thomas  (Paris) :  I  wish  to  submit  that  the  vote  had  already  been  taken  before  the 
last  speaker  addressed  the  meeting.  I  also  want  to  say  that  the  American  delegates  —  at 
least  the  American  delegates  from  Paris  —  identify  themselves  unreserv'edly  with  what 
Mr.  Faithfull  Begg  has  said,  and  with  the  voice  of  the  British  delegates. 

Dr.  Apt  (Berlin):  Fiir  die  deutschen  Delegierten  mochte  ich  nur  eins  sagen:  die  Idee, 
dal3,  wenn  ein  Weltwechselrecht  gemacht  wird,  dann  auch  ein  Gerichtshof  eingerichtet  wird, 
der  in  letzter  Instanz  da  ist,  um  Streitfragen  viber  dieses  Weltwechsel-  imd  Weltscheckrecht 
zu  entscheiden,  dieser  Gedanke  ist  von  der  deutschen  Delegation  aus  der  Haager  Weltwech- 
selrecht-Konferenz  angeregt  worden,  und  die  Haager  Weltwechselrecht-Konfercnz  hat  ein- 
stimmig  bcschlossen,  da(3  diese  Frage  von  den  einzelnen  Regiorungen  geprlift  werden  soil. 
Was  ich  will,  ist  nichts  weiter  als  daC  dieser  Kongre(3  allgemein  seine  SjTnpathie  fiir  die  Ein- 
richtung  eines  derartigen  Gericht-shofes  ausspreche,  fiir  den  Fall,  dafi  eine  Vereinhcitlichung 
des  Weltwechsel-  und  Scheckrechts  gemacht  wird,  und  ich  glaube,  der  Ilandelsstand  hat  ja 
gar  keinen  Grund,  gegen  einen  derartigen  Gerichtshof  einzutreten,  der  nur  die  Garantie  bieten 
soil  fiir  die  richtige  Durchfiihrung  des  Weltwechsel-  und  Scheckrechts. 

(Translation) 

On  behalf  of  the  German  delegates  I  would  onlj-  say  one  thing  on  the  point:  that 
if  a  universal  law  on  bills  of  exchange  and  a  universal  check  law  are  enacted,  in  this  case 
also  a  court  should  be  established  which  would  be  a  court  of  last  appeal  to  decide  con- 
troversies. In  connection  with  this  universal  law  on  bills  of  exchange  and  universal 
law  on  checks  is  a  suggestion  which  has  been  made  by  the  German  delegation  at  the 
international  conference  on  a  universal  law  on  bills  of  exchange,  held  at  The  Hague,  and 
The  Hague  Conference  has  unanimously  voted  that  this  is  a  question  which  should  be 
examined  by  the  individual  governments.  What  I  wish  is  nothing  more  than  that  this 
Congress  should  in  general  express  its  sentiment  in  favor  of  the  institution  of  such  a 
court  of  appeal  in  case  a  uniform  international  law  on  checks  and  bills  of  exchange 
is  instituted,  and  I  beheve  that  the  merchants  at  large  have  no  reason  whatsoever  to 
oppose  such  a  court,  which  would  merely  fumi.sh  a  guaranty  for  the  proper  carrj'ing 
into  effect  of  such  a  universal  law  covering  bills  of  exchange  and  checks. 

M.  le  President:  Je  pease  que  dans  ces  conditions-lii,  nous  pourrons  laisscr  la  seconde 
partie  de  la  question  de  c6t6,  la  consid(5rer  comme  document  et  ne  pas  provoquer  de  r6.solu- 
tion  du  Congrds  h  ce  sujet.  Done,  nous  nous  bomons  au  premier  point.  Nous  notons  lea 
explications  de  M.  Apt,  mais  nous  ne  passons  pas  de  resolution.  II  faut  done  consid6rer  cette 
question  comme  terminde. 


222  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

{Translation) 

I  believe  that  under  such  conditions  we  can  lay  aside  the  second  part  of  the  issue, 
considcrinR  it  as  a  document  and  not  seeking  to  call  forth  a  resolution  from  the  Con- 
gress. Therefore,  wc  confine  ourselves  to  the  first  point,  and  take  note  of  Mr.  Apt's 
explanation.^,  but  we  pass  no  resolutions.    We  consider  this  question  closed. 

Mr   William  R.  Tucker  (I'hUadelphia):  Mr.  President,  may  I  say  one  word? 

The  President:  The  question  is  closed. 

Mr   Tucker:  I  would  like  to  say  one  word,  not  to  the  question,  if  you  will  permit  me. 

The  President:  One  word. 

Mr.  Tucker:  We  all  acknowlcxlge  here  that  French  is  the  diplomatic  hmguage.  We 
ab«o  ncknowlodge,  and  miust  acknowledge,  that  German  and  Engli.sh  have  become  in  a  large 
Ben.se  the  hmguuge  of  commerce.  Now,  I  want  to  suggest,  if  you  will  permit  me  to  do  so, 
that,  in  the  statement  of  qucstion.s  upon  which  we  are  to  vote,  the  question  should  be  stated 
in  the  three  languages,  so  that  the  people  who  do  not  understand  all  of  them  may  be  enabled 
to  vote  intelligently.  {Applause.)  Mr.  Filene,  if  you  will  pennit  me  to  make  the  suggestion 
—  and  I  know  you  will  not  misunderstand  me  —  if  j'ou  will  state  the  question  to  us  in  English, 
and  you,  Mr.  President,  with  your  excellent  French,  of  course,  and  your  magnificent  German, 
there  ran  bo  no  nii.sunderstanding. 

Mr.  Alfred  Aslett:  May  I  say  one  word?  We  had  the  same  difficulty  two  years  jigo, 
when  the  International  Railway  Congress  was  held  in  Berne.  There  the  translation  was  in 
two  languages,  French  and  German.  The  American  representatives  —  and  there  were  a 
great  many  there  —  and  the  English  had  a  majority  of  the  members;  and  the  Americans  felt 
BO  strongly  on  this  question  that  they  came  into  the  hall  and  said:  "Every  one  of  us  will 
leave,  ever>'  one  of  us,  unless  there  is  a  translation  in  English.  It  is  an  ab.solute  scandal. 
Many  of  us  do  not  understand  French  or  German.  We  do  not  know  what  we  are  talking 
about.  It  is  not  business."  And  what  was  the  result?  We  had  a  translation  in  English.  It 
was  abbreviated  because  of  the  time,  but  we  had  a  translation  in  English.  Wc  knew  what 
we  were  talking  about,  we  knew  what  we  were  doing,  and  we  knew  what  we  were  voting 
upon.    {"Jlcar,  hear!") 

M.  le  F*resident:  Nous  sommes  absolimient  d'accord  et  c'est  pr6cis6ment  pour  cela  que 
d6s  le  (k'but  du  Congrds  j'ai  demand6  h.  M.  Filene  de  se  tenir  h  c6t6  de  moi  pour  faire  les  tra- 
ductions; mais  dans  tons  les  ca-s,  au  sujet  de  la  question  qui  vient  de  se  terminer,  il  n'y  a  pas 
de  malentendu,  nous  sommes  d'accord  sur  le  premier  point. 

{Translation) 

We  are  entirely  agreed,  and  for  this  reason  I  have  asked  Mr.  Filene  at  the  opening 
of  the  Congress  to  remain  by  my  side  in  order  to  do  the  translating;  but  at  any  rate  on 
the  question  which  has  just  been  closed,  there  is  no  misunderstanding;  we  arc  agreed 
on  the  first  point. 

{The  President  continued  in  English) 

We  (juite  agreed  u]ion  the  first  point,  and  the  second  point  has  been  withdrawn  — 

Voices:  Too  late,  too  late. 

Dr.  Albert  C.  Bonaschi  {New  York):  That  has  been  voted  upon.  The  Congress  has 
refused  to  accept  it. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  223 

Mr.  Thomas:  I  submit  that  it  was  too  hite  to  withdraw  it  after  voting. 

M.  le  President:  Oui,  c'est  entcndu.    Xous  sommes  done  d'accord. 

(Translulion) 

Yes,  it  is  understood.    So  we  are  agreed. 

An  English  Delegate:  Mr.  President,  it  was  not  accepted  by  the  Congress,  and  it 
should  go  on  the  record  as  not  accepted. 

M.  A.  Barton  Kent  (Londres) :  Je  demande  si  c'est  1^  votre  decision  finale.  Le  vote  n'est 
pas  enregistrc  .sur  le  proc(>s-verbal,  la  proposition  est  seulement  retiree. 

(Translation) 

I  ask  if  that  is  your  final  decision?    The  vote  is  not  registered  in  the  minutes, 
but  the  proposition  is  simply  withdrawn. 

M.  le  President:  Nous  avons  xot6  sur  le  premier  point,  sur  lequel  tout  le  monde  a  6td 
d'accord. 

(Translation) 

We  have  voted  on  the  first  point,  and  everj'body  is  agreed. 

M.  Kent:  Et  nous  avons  vot6  sur  le  second  point. 

(Translation) 

And  we  have  voted  on  the  second  point. 

M.  le  President:  Pardon,  nous  n'avons  pas  vot6. 

(Translation) 

Pardon,  we  have  not  voted. 

Plusieurs  Voii:  Oui,  oui. 

(Translation) 

Several  Voices:  Yes,  yes. 

Mr.  Miinsterberg:  We  are  the  second  time  trying  to  avoid  a  misunderstanding.  The 
honorable  gentleman  who  has  just  spoken  is  quite  right.  We  tried  to  vote  on  the  second 
point,  and  when  we  did  so  .  .  . 

Voices:  We  did  vote. 

Mr.  Miinsterberg:  Excuse  me;  when  we  did  so  we  noticed  that  there  had  been  a 
misunderstamling. 

Voices:  No,  no. 

Mr.  Miinsterberg:  I  agree  perfectly  with  you  that  perhaps  the  proceeding  has  not 
been  absolutely  correct.  Now  I  believe  we  might  overlook  nuch  mere  fomialities  if  the  spirit 
of  the  matter  has  been  agreed  upon,  and  I  believe  that  after  all  these  explanations  we  have 
found  the  way  out  —  how  the  Congres-s  can  give  a  vote,  one  vote  upon  which  we  are  imani- 
mous.  The  second  vote  was  carried  and  we  saw  there  had  been  some  misunderstanding,  and 
the  President,  after  the  vote  had  been  taken,  withdrew  the  whole  thing,  so  that  we  are  not 
divided  upon  this  question.    So  perhaps,  since  the  gentlemen,  on  informal  points,  are  justi- 


224  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

fie<l  in  making  a  certain  cdinplaint,  i  think  \vc  had  better  let  the  whole  matter  drop.  We 
have  now  the  dog  and  the  tail,  1  l>elieve,  and  I  believe  we  can  be  perfectly  satisfied  that  we 
have  done  so  much  aa  we  have  been  able  to  do. 

Mr.  A.  Barton  Kent:  Mr.  President,  I  am  verj*  much  obliged  for  that  explanation, 
but  I  would  like  to  disas-^Jciate  my.self  from  any  misunderstanding  on  the  point.  I  perfectly 
understood  the  question  as  it  was  put,  and  it  was  my  impression  that  most  of  the  delegates 
also  understood  it.  Unfortunately,  it  did  not  meet  with  the  approval  of  the  Reporter  and  it 
wa-s  voted  again.st.  But  if  you  as  President  of  this  Congress  rule  that  that  vote  adverse  to 
the  ReiK>rter  shall  not  be  taken,  but  that  the  proposition  shall  be  withdrawn,  I  am  sure  all  our 
colleagut's  hen-  will  bow  to  your  ruling. 

M.  le  President:  Je  d<^sirerais  que  noua  soyons  bien  d'accord.  Le  premier  point  est 
acquis.  Pour  le  second  point,  on  a  commenced  le  vote,  il  est  exact,  mais  le  vote  n'a  pas  6t6 
acquis.  Qi*J^nd  nous  avons  vu  qu'il  y  avait  de  I'opposition,  j'ai  moi-m6me  demandd  que  I'on 
retire  la  seconde  partie,  afin  que  nous  soyons  tous  d'accord  et  que  nous  n'ayons  pas  k  voter 
les  uns  contre  les  autres. 

{Translation) 

I  would  desire  that  we  should  properly  agree.  The  first  point  is  decided.  As  for 
the  second,  a  vote  was  started,  it  is  true,  but  the  vote  was  not  completed.  When  we 
saw  there  was  oppo.sition,  I  personally  asked  the  withdrawal  of  the  second  part  in  order 
to  all  agree  and  not  vote  against  one  another. 

Un  D§lSgu6:  Nous  sommes  ici  des  d(!^l<?gu(5s  de  divers  pays  pour  prociSder  il  un  <^change 
de  \'ues;  il  y  aura  certaineinent  des  questions  sur  lesquelles  nous  ne  serons  pas  d'accord;  cela 
s'est  prtxluit,  et  cela  se  produira  encore.  Dans  ces  conditions,  je  demande  de  ne  pas  pro- 
ct'kler  k  un  vote  et  admettre  que  le  Congres  n'est  pas  d'accord  sur  un  point.  Nous  sonunes 
d'accord  sur  la  question  de  principe. 

(Translation) 

A  Delegate:  We  are  here  as  delegates  of  various  countries  to  proceed  to  an  ex- 
chiUige  of  views.  There  will  certainly  be  issues  on  which  we  will  not  agree;  this  has  taken 
j)lace,  and  will  again  take  place.  Under  such  conditions  I  ask  that  we  do  not  proceed 
to  a  vote  which  may  make  it  seem  that  Congress  is  not  agreed  on  a  point.  We  are 
together  on  the  question  of  principle. 

M.  le  President:  C'est  la  question.    II  faut  done  considt5rer  que  ce  point  est  vid6. 

(Translation) 

That  is  the  question.    We  must  consider  this  point  withdrawn. 

Plusieurs  Voix:  Non,  non,  non. 

(Translation) 

Several  Voices:  No,  no,  no. 

M.  le  I^r^sident:  Pardon! 

(Translation) 

Pardon  I 

A  Member:  I  want  to  know  whether  the  negative  vote  which  was  taken  on  the  second 
point  goes  on  record. 

The  President:  The  vote  was  not  taken  on  the  second  point.  We  did  not  vote  any- 
thing. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  225 

A  Member:  The  vote  waa  taken,  permit  me  to  say,  in  the  negative. 

The  President:  The  result  of  the  vote  was  not  announced. 

Mr.  Filene:  Gentlemen,  everj'  one  knows  that  until  the  result  of  the  vote  is  announced 
by  the  Chair  that  vote  does  not  count.  Now,  gentlemen,  the  President  and  all  of  your  officers 
want  only  what  you  want.  If  you  will  make  clear  what  you  want,  what  this  body  wants, 
we  are  here  to  do  your  bidding.  The  President,  you  must  understand,  does  not  always  catch 
ever>'  word.  He  speaks  all  languages,  but  sometimes  in  the  heat  of  a  debate  like  this  he  too 
misunderstands,  as  some  of  the  rest  of  us  do,  but  if  you  will  make  clear  what  you  desire  as  a 
body,  his  only  wish  is  to  do  as  you  want  him  to  do. 

Mr.  Frank  D.  La  Lanne  {Philodelphia):  Mr.  President,  Mr.  Filene  has  said  that  our 
desires  will  be  listened  to  by  the  Chair,  and  I  know  the  desire  of  the  Chair  is  always  to  be  fair, 
—  but  in  this  audience  there  are  many  men  who  do  not  understand  French,  and  I  am  one  of 
them,  and  I  can't  follow  the  decision  of  the  Chair;  and  therefore,  so  that  we  can  understand 
the  decision  of  the  Chair  —  which  is  always  fair  —  I  would  move  that  it  be  also  put  in  Eng- 
lish and  in  Gennan,  in  those  three  languages,  so  that  every  one  of  us  here  may  understand 
the  rulings  of  the  Chair.  Now  if  that  cjuestion  is  put  I  beUeve  it  will  be  carried,  Mr.  Presi- 
dent, and  I  therefore  make  that  motion. 

Mr.  Alfred  Aslett:  I  take  pleasure  in  seconding  that  motion. 

M.  le  President:  Je  considdre  la  question  comme  excessivement  simple.  On  a  votd 
sur  le  premier  j)oint,  j'ai  amionc6  le  vote;  sur  le  second  point,  il  n'y  a  pas  eu  de  vote  acquLs. 
On  a  retir6  la  question  sur  le  second  point.  Enfin,  k  I'heure  actuelle,  le  Congr^s  s'est  simple- 
ment  prononcd  sur  ceci:  II  est  ddsirable  d'avoir  I'unification  de  la  loi  sur  les  cheques,  et  c'est 
tout.    Rien  autre  chose.    Pas  d'autre  vote,  pas  d'autre  resolution.    Sommes-nous  d'accord? 

{Translalion) 

I  think  the  question  exceedingly  simple.  The  first  point  has  been  voted  upon,  and 
I  have  announced  it;  on  the  second  point,  no  vote  has  been  taken.  The  question  on 
the  second  point  has  been  withdrawn.  Up  to  the  present  the  Congress  has  expressed 
its  mind  on  the  following:  That  it  is  desirable  to  have  unification  on  the  law  of  checks, 
and  that  is  all.    Nothing  else.    No  other  vote,  no  other  resolution.    Are  we  agreed? 

Mr.  Kent:  I  think  we  must  bow  to  the  ruling  of  our  President.  He  has  explained  that 
the  vote  was  taken  on  the  first  point,  but  when  we  thought  that  the  vote  was  taken  on  the 
second  point  and  lost  that  was  not  so,  because  he  had  not  announced  the  result.  lie  has 
therefore  permitted  the  second  point  to  be  withdrawn  without  voting. 

The  F*resident:  Quite  so. 

Mr.  Kent:  That,  I  understand,  is  the  ruling  of  the  Chair,  and  to  that  ruling  we  must  all 
bow. 

Mr.  Fraser  (London):  I  suggest,  with  the  approval  of  Dr.  Apt,  that  you  should  ap- 
point a  committee  to  consider  this  point  further,  a  conmaittee  which  should  meet  in  London 
and  be  charged  with  drawing  up  a  report  to  be  presented  to  the  next  meeting  of  this  Con- 
gress. That  will  be  a  step  forward  and  will  be  dealing  with  a  point  of  business  in  a  business- 
like way.  No  one  wants  the  point  shelved.  We  want  to  go  forward.  If  you  will  appoint  a 
committee  my  friend  Dr.  Apt  will  scr^e  and  you  will  ajipoint  your  own  representatives  also 
to  serve,  and  at  your  next  Congress  you  will  register  your  decision.  I  have  the  verj'  great 
jileasure  to  move  the  appointment  of  such  a  committee  and  ask  my  friend  Dr.  Apt  to  second 
the  resolution. 


226  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

The  President:  Wh:it  are  you  williriL'  to  <l<i?  I  a.-k  of  tho  convention  what  it  is  willing 
to  do. 

Dr.  Apt  (Berlin):  Meinc  Ilcrrcn!  Es  wird  beantragt,  die  Fragc  moge  in  einem  Komitee 
gopnift  wcnlcn,  das  in  London  zusammentrctcn  soli,  und  daC  dcr  Gegenstand  fiir  hcute  von 
dor  Tagesoninung  abgesetzt  wird.     Damit  bin  ich  cinverstandcn. 

(Translation) 

Gentlemen,  it  has  been  proposed  that  the  question  should  be  considered  by  a  com- 
mittee which  should  meet  in  I>ondon  and  that  the  subject  for  the  present  time  should 
be  withdrawn  from  the  order  of  the  day.    This  is  agreeable  to  me. 

Mr.  Miinsterberg :  I  am  just  going  to  explain  what  Mr.  Apt  has  said.  He  is  perfectly 
willing  to  .^I'cond  the  suggestion  that  the  Congrc.'JS  to-<lay  appoint  a  committee  which  shall 
consider  the  question  of  checks  in  London  and  shall  report  to  the  next  Congre.ss. 

Mr.  Fraser  (London):  And  then  perhaps  you  will  kindly  send  in  to  Mr.  Jottrand,  each 
section  of  you,  the  name  of  the  gentleman  you  will  nominate.  I  propose  that  each  country 
should  nominate  one  representative  —  or  say  two  —  tentatively,  so  that  if  one  can't  attend 
the  other  will  be  present,  though  only  one  will  vote  for  each  country.  That  will  constitute  a 
good  working  committee  and  will  enable  you  to  report  to  your  next  Congress,  ^^^len  that  is 
finished  you  will  kindly  send  your  names  in  to  Monsieur  Jottrand. 

M.  A.  Barton  Kent  (Londres):  Nous  avons  des  difficult(!>s  dans  im  congrds  comme  celui-ci, 
oil.  tout  le  nionde  ne  comprend  pas  toutes  Ics  langues.  II  a  <5te  propos6  par  quelques  orateurs 
qu'A  I'avenir,  il  serait  plus  simple  d'avoir  les  jiropositions  r(5p6t6es  au  Congres  dans  les  trois 
langues:  anglai.>^e,  fran<;aLse  et  allemande;  et  si  vous  Ic  permettez,  j'aimerais  h  fairc  cette  pro- 
po.^ition,  et  que  cc  soit  vot(5  de  suite,  comme  recommandation  au  prochain  congres. 

(Translation) 

We  have  difTiculties  in  a  Congress  made  up  as  is  the  present  where  everj-  one  does 
not  understand  all  the  languages.  It  has  been  suggested  by  some  speakers  that  in  future 
it  would  be  more  simple  to  have  the  propositions  repeated  to  the  Congress  in  the  three 
language.^,  English,  French  and  German;  and  if  you  will  permit  I  should  like  to  propose 
to  ha\'e  it  voted  on  here,  as  a  reconmiendation  to  the  next  Congress. 

M.  le  President:  Je  suis  absolument  d'accord,  et  je  comptais  faire  moi-m^me  la  motion. 
(Translation) 

I  agree  entirely  and  I  had  intended  to  make  the  motion  myself. 

M.  Kent:  Je  vous  demandc  pardon,  monsieur  le  President.    Je  me  retire. 

(Translation) 

I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  President,  and  I  will  withdraw. 

M.  le  President:  Je  comptais  faire  moi-m6me  la  motion  que  toute  proposition  soit 
faite  en  fnmijai.'^,  en  anglais  et  en  allemand. 

(Translation) 

I  had  intended  myself  to  put  the  motion  that  all  propositions  shall  be  made  in 
French,  in  English  anil  in  German. 

(Continuing  in  English). 

The  ruling  of  the  Chair  is  that  the  motions  will  be  made  in  French,  German  and  English. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  227 

Mr.  Alfred  Georg  {Geneva):  Wc  have  delegates  here  from  twenty  countries,  who  speak 
Spanish. 

Dr.  Albert  C.  Bonaschi:  If  announcements  are  to  be  made  in  Spanish,  they  should  also 
be  made  in  Italian. 

The  President:  It  is  suggested  that  motions  be  made  in  other  languages  than  French, 
German  and  English? 

Mr.  Alfred  Georg:  Mr.  President,  it  has  been  suggested  that  Spani.sh  be  added,  also. 
There  arc  here  representatives  of  twenty  South  American  countries,  who  speak  Spanish. 

{Continuing  in  French) 

Monsieur  le  President  et  messieurs,  la  convention  ou  la  commission  dont  ont  parl6  les  pr«5- 
c<5dent3  orateurs  aurait  beaucoup  k  apprcndre  en  se  rendant  k  Londres  pour  voir  ce  qui  se 
passe  h\-bas  en  mati^re  de  cheque;  mais,  messieurs,  j'ai  quclque  scnipule  h  accepter  la  pro- 
position qui  a  6t6  faite  de  designer  une  d61<>gation  sp6ciale  tl.  cet  effet.  Nous  risquons  de 
marcher  ainsi  sur  les  brisiJes  du  congress  specialiste  qui  est  charg6  de  s'occuper  de  cette  ques- 
tion. Je  crains  en  outre  que  la  plupart  des  pays  ici  representees  auront  quclque  peine  i\  nom- 
mer  des  d61(5gu6s  spcciaux  pour  aller  (5tudier  sur  place,  h  Londres,  le  fonctionnement  du  cheque. 

Je  crois  que  nous  devons  abandonner  cette  question  ^  I'examen  de  la  conference  spdciale 
qui  doit  se  rcunir  h.  La  Haye,  et  s'il  est  utile  d'envoyer  une  de^legation  S,  Londres  pour  y  6tu- 
dier  le  fonctionnement  du  cheque,  elle  le  fera;  mais  je  crois  que  ce  n'est  pas  a  nous  qu'il  ap- 
partient  aujourd'hui  de  prendre  cette  position. 

{Translation) 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen,  the  convention  or  committee  which  the  preceding 
speakers  have  mentioned  would  have  a  great  deal  to  learn  by  going  to  London  to  see 
what  is  being  done  on  the  subject  of  the  check.  But,  gentlemen,  I  sec  some  objections  to 
accepting  the  proposal  which  has  been  made  to  appoint  a  .special  delegation  for  this  pur- 
pose. We  should  run  a  risk  of  thus  following  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Congress  of  special- 
ists which  is  to  occupy  itself  with  this  question.  I  fear  also  that  most  of  the  countries 
here  represented  would  find  some  difficulty  in  selecting  special  delegates  to  study  on  the 
ground,  in  London,  the  operation  of  the  check. 

I  beUeve  that  we  should  leave  this  question  to  the  investigations  of  the  special  con- 
ference which  is  to  meet  in  The  Hague,  and  if  it  is  desirable  to  send  a  delegation  to  Lon- 
don to  study  there  the  operation  of  the  check  it  will  do  so,  but  I  do  not  think  tliat  the 
present  time  is  the  time  for  us  to  take  this  position. 

M.  le  President:  Le  point  a  6t<5  vid6.  Cette  question  de  comite,  il  faudrait  I'expliquer 
en  allemand  et  en  anglais. 

{Translation) 

The  matter  has  been  decided.  This  question  of  the  committee  should  be  explained 
in  German  and  in  English. 

Mr.  Georg:  The  Congress  believes  that  it  has  now  been  decided  that  we  are  going  to 
nominate  the  commi.-*sion.  I  think  it  is  not  in  our  program  for  the  Congress  to  nominate  the 
commission  at  this  time,  but  I  think  the  special  conference  that  is  going  to  deal  with  this 
matter  will  nominate  a  special  comnii.'ision  to  see  what  is  going  on  in  London  about  checking, 
for  instance,  and  looking  into  other  matters  that  we  do  not  have  before  this  commi.ssion.  I 
do  not  think  the  different  countries  here  represented  would  agree  to  the  proposition  that 
has  been  made,  and  I  propose  to  our  President  that  he  consider  the  proposition  made  as  not 
accepted. 


228 


INTEBXATIOXAL    COXGKESS    OF 


Dr.  GecciK 
Er  kfth  «•  BKte  fir  rkkt%.  dai  iB 
>  die  Fx^r  fiwiiam  nl.  wed - 
JBHa^ac 
iH9Bt  daber.  cs 

lekptaialMkhmier 
daC  dcr  KoBsrci  jrtai 
M^d— ■MrtfcwdMW  ■!■*■.  mwda 

Mr.  FiiMilit.  I  Aoald  Hbe  to  obt  for  the 
Geoii  "Ifdril  ■  nnirr  tfc«1  thrrr  m\rr  ' 

Be  does  bo*  rMBrlrr  k  oi^  tk«t  tike  G 
tiBe  to  ttadr  tbe  f/atBttkm,  ■■ce —  if  I  kmrv 
TW  Hi«ne  ^i  winmij  mwmtifMSied  tke  sdhiect  bjr 
bcfirwH,  tkerefaR,  tkat  k  waald  be  MpoclMW  to 

I  am  peaemaMj  oi  tke  opiMoa  tkat  we 
deiwxe  aKi  tkas  tke  CoMKres  i^onld  Bov  dedde  vkeckor  it  vfl 
BOC    Tkis  ntkfiMt  resud  to  Mty  pooable  makft. 

Mr.  rrimiifT.  1  beg  kmre  to  hj  «ae  vord  Sor  mxadL  Mr.  Gcois  bat  grncB  k  w  kis 
Qfimim  xhMX  tbe  Coa«rca»  woaid  d»  better  soC  to  appoiat  a  eoaiMaee,  beeaaae  ^e  om- 
fcnafceas  Tbe  Ha^oe  ia  Maiie  «p  ti  wpeaal  ddesateacif  al  eoaMfedea  to  sCadN-  Ark  qacs^ 
tioBL  Mr.  Gears  tbialri  tbe  td^ect  wM  be  baaflhri  pcrbaps  £v  better  ia  tkat  war  t^a 
k  eoold  be  baaHlrii  or  itedkd  bjr  at  beve,  mam.  Expreaaas  wsyr  frnwrnal  opiaioa,  I  feeL 
joat  aa  tone  «f  t^  ^friraa  ddosatae  bare  aaidr  tbat  k  k  ack  of  tot  BBieb  ase  far  «» 
aow  to  speak  abooi  sack  qaeitaaB*  bere,  jt*  or  aot  Tbe  Caagreaa  k,  of  eoaRc, 
Tbe  Coagrra*  ma^  appoktt  a  coaaBiakaai,  aad  M  tbe  Goagycaa  ra<Mi  to  bare  a 

B  take  tbe  Tote  of  ibe  Ooapvai  OB  tbe : 


Mr.  B.  &  fkMer  (Lm^m):  Mr.  riiikfcat,  mejt  I  iii^i  if  ifart  H^iv  ^mU  ba 
abovt  o«r  reaohrtacM.    Toa  p«t  tke  Mkka^  tbe  bodj  voted  oa  k,  aad  k  k 
CA^;<sm«r.)    1  ccrtattlr  do  aot  aadentead  pabke  prxc«&*ss  2.  after  a 
«oneeood,*>1l  aifaiag»aacaarketomaiaihiBMdf  aadaA  tkal  k  beaet  Mate.    I 
Mr.  Pmkdea*,  tbat  «e  pveeeed  to  tfe  Mat  banaeaiL    {4f§lmmt  ) 


I«9aajtka<  Im< 
akcNk  tbeckebktoi 


Mr  G«oKs:  Mr.  Pk<eBidak,  ia  oedcr  tfaift  lauiybe 
■■«  tkat  tbe  fpeekJ  ooaaaaakoa  voald  kaia  very 

■tedr.  aadltbJaktbeipeciatiinaMiia'iia    asH  tobeefactodby  tte 

(Fotcn.    "Stxt  hmMi»tm$f) 


at  The 


M  WPr«sidcBZ: 


We  Totod  to 

anwiatod,  tbe 
.  tkat  eoaaantee  «il 


je  doia  afipckT 


joaof  tbe 


ba 
<tftbe 


be  Tcrr  «p|  aettled 
m  LomSoa.    Tbe 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  229 

each  country  might  nominate  its  representative  or  two  representatives  on  the  committee  at 
London,  to  meet  in  London.  They  will  meet  in  London  and  report  to  the  next  Congress. 
Let  us  now  proceed  to  the  next  business. 

M.  le  President:  Je  con.sulte  done  I'assembli^e  pour  savoir  quels  sont  ceux  qui  sont 
d'avis  de  voir  nommer  le  comit(5;  qu'ils  veuillent  bien  lever  la  main.  {Levie  de  mains  des 
diUguis.)    Que  ceux  qui  .^ont  d'avis  contraire  Invent  la  main. 

(Translation) 

I  consult  the  assembly  to  find  out  tho.se  who  are  of  opinion  that  a  committee  .should 
be  named.  Let  them  raise  their  hands.  {Raising  of  hands  by  the  delegates.)  Those 
who  are  opposed  please  raise  their  hands. 

M.  le  President:   Le  vote  pour  le  comitd  est  adopt<5.    Je  vais  done   vous  demander 

(le  voter  aus.si  sur  ce  point  dont  j'ai  parl6  tout  i\  I'heure  en  prcnant  la  motion  faitc  par  un 
liunorable  mcinbre. 

(Translation) 

The  vote  for  the  committee  is  adopted.  I  will  therefore  ask  you  to  vote  also  on  the 
point  I  mentioned  a  little  while  ago  on  the  disposition  of  a  motion  made  by  an  honor- 
able member. 

Mr.  Manuel  Walls  y  Merino  (Spain):  Mr.  President,  if  the  French,  German  and 
Engli.'ih  arc  to  be  u.sed,  I  believe  the  Spanish  also  should  be  used.  There  is  a  strong  feeling 
here  that  that  should  be  done.  The  demand  comes  from  twenty-one  countries,  it  being  the 
second  language  spoken  in  the  world,  after  the  English.  So  1  think  that  should  be  taken  into 
consideration,  as  well  jus  the  German. 

Mr.  Albert  C.  Bonaschi:  Mr.  President,  I  would  like  to  see  only  the  three  languages  — 
English,  French  and  German  —  used  in  this  connection.  If  there  is  any  other  to  be  added,  I 
would  move  that  the  Italian  be  added.  It  is  spoken  by  nearly  forty  millions  in  Italy,  as' well 
as  by  a  large  number  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 

M.  le  President:  Etes-vous  satisfaits,  alors,  si  Ton  propose  la  motion  que  les  motions 
soient  faites  en  fnin^-ais,  en  allemand,  en  anglais,  en  esjjagnol  et  en  italien? 

Ceux  qui  sont  d'avis  de  faire  les  motions  dans  les  cinq  langues  que  je  viens  d'indiquer, 
qu'ils  Itivent  la  main. 

(Translation) 

Are  you  sati.sfied  then,  if  the  motion  is  propo.sed  that  all  motions  should  be  made  in 
French,  in  German,  in  English,  in  Spanish  and  in  Italian? 

Tho.se  who  favor  making  motions  in  the  five  languages  just  mentioned,  please  raise 
the  hand. 

(Continuing  in  English) 

Those   in   favor  of  having  ever>'  vote  and  resolution  announced  in   English,    French, 
German,  Spani.sh  and  Italian,  will  raise  their  hands.     (.4  number  raised  their  hands.) 
Those  who  are  opposed  will  raise  their  hands.    (A  larger  number  raised  their  hands.) 
The  motion  wa«  declared  lost. 

M.  le  Prfisident:  La  question  est  incertaine;  je  nc  pourrais  pa.s  me  decider.  Je  pense 
qu'il  faut  .savoir  nous  bomer.  II  est  (^'vident  que  la  plupart  il'entre  nous  ici  comprenons  au 
moins  I'une  des  trois  langues  que  je  viens  de  citer:  le  fran^ais,  I'anglais  et  I'allemiuid.  Ce  sont 
lea  trois  langues  dans  le.squelles  les  motions  seront  faites.  Ceux  qui  .sont  de  cet  avis,  qu'ils 
veuillent  bien  lever  la  main.  (Levie  de  mains  r/e.s  dfUgui^s.)  L'6preuve  contraire.  (Uwie  de 
mains  de  rpulques  diHiguis.)    La  motion  est  adoptee.    (Applaiuiisscmenls.) 


230  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

(Translation) 

The  matter  is  left  in  doubt;  I  cannot  decide  myself.  I  think  we  ought  to  keep 
ourselves  within  bounds.  It  is  evident  that  most  of  us  here  understand  at  least  one  of 
the  three  languages  which  I  have  just  mentioned:  French,  English  and  German.  These 
are  the  three  languages  in  which  the  motions  will  be  made.  Those  who  are  of  this 
opinion  will  kindly  raise  the  hand.  (A  number  of  delegates  raised  their  hands.)  Contrary 
minded?  {A  smaller  number  of  dele^ate^  raised  their  hands.)  The  motion  is  adopted. 
(Applause.) 

A  recess  was  taken  at  12.55  p.m.  to  2.30  p.m. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  231 


Jfourtf)  ^cfifsfion 

COMMERCIAL    STATISTICS,    AND    THE    IMMEDIATE    INSTITU- 
TION   OF    AN    INTERNATIONAL    OFFICE 

The  members  of  the  Congress  reassembled  at  3  p.m. 

President  Canon-Legrand 

Me.-^sicurs,  la  S(5ance  est  reprise. 

Le  quatrieme  objet  &  I'ordre  du  jour  ayant  6t6,  k  la  demande  des  int6ress<5s,  remia  k  la 
s<5ance  de  domain,  nous  aborderons  le  cinqui^me  objet:  "Statistique  commereiale  et  insti- 
tution immediate  d'un  office  international." 

Le  rapporteur,  M.  Eugene  Allard,  a  la  parole,  et  je  prierais  les  rapporteurs,  comme 
tous  les  orateurs,  d'fitre  aussi  brefs  que  possible. 

(Translation) 

Gentlemen,  the  sitting  is  resumed. 

The  fourth  matter  in  the  order  of  the  day  having  been,  at  the  request  of  parties 
interested,  postponed  until  to-morrow's  session,  we  will  take  up  the  fifth  matter: 
"Commercial  Statistics,  and  the  Immediate  Institution  of  an  International  Office." 

The  Reporter,  Mr.  EtjgJine  Allard,  has  the  floor,  and  I  ask  the  Reporters,  as  all 
the  other  speakers,  to  be  as  brief  as  possible. 

M.  Allard:  Messieurs,  je  vais  r6pondre  h.  la  demande  de  notre  cher  president  en  6tant 
le  plus  bref  possible.  Du  reste,  je  ne  voudrais  pas  troubler  votre  digestion  en  vous  infligeant 
la  lecture  de  toute  la  paperasserie,  apr6s  tous  les  rapports  que  vous  avez  eus. 

(Translation) 

Gentlemen,  I  shall  respond  to  the  request  of  our  dear  President  by  being  as  brief 
as  possible.  Moreover,  I  would  not  trouble  your  digestion  by  inflicting  upon  you  the-, 
reading  of  this  pile  of  papers  after  all  the  reports  you  have  had. 

M.  le  President:  On  ne  lit  pas  les  rapports,  on  les  resume. 

(Translation) 

The  reports  are  not  read,  they  should  be  summarized. 

M.  Eugene  Allard,  President  of  the  Belgian  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris 

Le  r6sum6  en  sera  tr^s  simple.  La  question  qui  est  k  I'ordre  du  jour,  la  statistique 
commereiale,  a  cette  bonne  fortune,  qu'elle  est  la  seule  depuis  I'institution  de  nos  congrds 
intemationaux,  qui  obtient  une  solution  pratique  par  le  fait  d'une  entente  gouvemementale 
pour  r(5tabhsseni(nt  d'une  statistique  douaniere  intcmationale.  Vous  n'ignorez  pas  que 
la  conference  r^unic  k  Bruxelles  s'est  mise  d'accord  sur  un  groupe  supplementaire  statis- 
tique do  chaque  pays,  dans  lequel  scront  relev(''s  un  nombre  d<''termin<5  de  produits.  Cc  groupe- 
ment  forme  aujourd'hui  deux  cent  huit  cat(''gorics.  Vous  voyez  le  beau  r<?sultat  que  nous 
avons  obtenu.  Lors  de  notre  congr^a  de  Milan,  nous  avions  deux  cent  soixante  et  quinze 
cat6gories,  et  k  Bruxelles,  nous  avons  obtenu  deux  cent  huit.    En  consequence,  il  y  a  ce  fait, 


232  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

c'cst  que  la  conference  a  acccpte  une  classification  uniforme.  Ce  qui  est  regrettable  c'est 
que  cettc  nifnic  conft'-rence,  apr^  avoir  declare''  qu'il  fallait  6tablir  ce  groupement  dans  la 
statistique  pmchaine,  qui  <ftait  la  statistiquc  de  1910,  n'a  absolument  rien  fait.  Tout  est  rest^ 
en  ^tat,  parce  (ju'ii  la  conf<!''rence  il  s'ost  protluit  une  proposition  nouvelle,  qui  ^tait  I'organi- 
eation  d'un  bureau  permanent  pour  IV'tablisscnient  de  statist iques  douani^res.  II  parait  que 
la  conference  va  se  r<f'unir,  une  nouvelle  f^'ance  va  avoir  lieu  sous  peu,  et  que  Ton  en  arrivera 
h  une  solution  pratique.  Je  cruis  que  nous  devrions  fonnuler  un  va-u  demandant  au  gouveme- 
ment  qui  a  prw  I'initiative  de  la  nl-union  de  cette  conference  de  hfiter  ses  travaux,  afin  que  le 
commerce  international  puisse  enfin  avoir  la  satisfaction  qu'il  reclame;  et  ce  vceu,  je  la  for- 
mule  dans  mon  rajjport,  en  des  termes  qui  pourraient  parattre  plus  ou  moins  comminatoires, 
ct  que  je  vous  proposerais  de  changer  dans  le  sens  suivant: 

"Le  Congrfts,  reconnais-sant  de  I'initiative  prise  par  le  gouvemement  Beige  d'avoir  r6uni 
k  Bruxelles  le  19  .-ientembre  1910,  les  di'l(''gu(''s  de  vingt-iieux  Ctats  pour  chercher  les  moyens 
d'intnxluire  plus  d  harmonic  et  plus  d'unit(!>  dans  les  tableaux  des  dchanges  du  commerce 
mondial,  se  ralliant  i\  la  d<?cision  prise  h  cette  conf<['rence  de  faire  6tablir  par  chaeun  de  ces 
fltats  en  dehors  de  sa  statistique  commerciale,  une  nomenclature  commune  ou  doivent  se 
groui)er  des  marehandi.scs  importif'es  et  exportees,  sous  la  double  indication  du  poids  et  de  la 
valeur,  cxprinie  le  vteu  que  cette  nomenclature  figure  dans  le  plus  bref  d(51ai  possible  dans  les 
tableaux  statistitjuesdes  gouvemements  repr<'>sentes  i\  la  conf(;''rence ;  approuve  la  proposition  h, 
la  conference  de  Hru.xelles  de  voir  cr<5er  un  bureau  international  de  la  statistique  commerciale, 
charge  de  cenlraliser  toutes  les  indications  utiles,  pour  donner  au  commerce  mondial  un  aper^u 
annuel,  et  autant  que  possible  semestriel,  ct  par  la  suite  mensuel,  du  mouvement  commercial  des 
difT(5rents  j^ays  du  globe,  r^digd  confonni5ment  au  groupement  des  marchandises  adopte  par 
la  conference  su.>*dite;  emet  le  vceu  que  le  gouvemement  beige  invite  sans  retard  tous  les  fitats 
ii  conclure  une  convention  assurant  la  mise  en  CEU\Te  des  travaux  projet^s." 

Voilii,  messieurs,  les  vccux  que  je  vous  propose  de  vouloir  bien  adopter. 

(TransUUion) 

The  summary  will  be  ver>-  simple.  The  question  which  is  on  the  order  of  the  day, 
Commercial  Statistics,  has  this  good  fortune,  that  it  is  the  only  one,  since  the  organi- 
zation of  our  International  Congresses,  which  obtains  a  practical  solution  through  a 
governmental  agreement  for  the  establishment  of  international  customs  statistics. 
You  are  aware  that  the  Brus.sels  Conference  has  agreed  on  a  supplementary  statistical 
group  of  each  country,  wherein  a  fixed  number  of  products  will  be  noted.  This  group- 
ing to-day  contains  208  categories.  You  see  the  beautiful  result  we  have  obtained. 
During  our  Milan  Congress  we  had  275  categories,  and  in  Brussels,  208.  As  a  result, 
the  fact  appears  that  the  conference  has  accepted  or  adopted  a  uniform  classification. 
What  is  regrettable  is,  that  this  same  conference,  after  having  declared  that  a  group- 
ing should  be  established  in  the  next  statistics,  those  of  1910,  has  done  absolutely  noth- 
ing. All  has  remained  in  the  same  state  because  at  the  conference  a  new  proposition 
was  produced,  that  of  organizing  a  permanent  bureau  for  the  establishment  of  custom- 
hou.se  statistics.  It  seems  that  the  conference  will  meet,  that  a  new  session  will  soon 
take  place,  and  a  practical  .solution  will  be  reached.  I  believe  that  we  should  formu- 
late our  wish  in  a  request  to  the  government  which  has  taken  the  initiative  of  a 
conference  meeting,  to  hasten  its  work,  so  that  international  commerce  may  have 
the  desired  satisfaction;  and  this  wish  appears  in  my  report  in  terms  which  might  ap- 
pear more  or  less  threatening,  and  which  I  would  propo.se  to  change  as  follows: 

"The  Congress,  recognizing  the  initiative  taken  by  the  Belgian  Government  in  bring- 
ing together  at  Bru.s.sfls  on  September  19,  1910,  delegates  of  twenty-two  States  to  seek 
for  the  means  of  introducing  more  harmony  and  unity  in  the  tables  of  exchanges  of  the 
comiiierce  of  the  whole  world,  approving  the  decision  taken  at  that  conference  to  have 
established  for  each  one  of  tliese  States,  in  addition  to  its  own  commercial  statistics,  a 
common  nomenclature,  under  which  may  be  grouped  all  merchandi.se  imported  or  ex- 
ported under  the  heading  of  both  weight  and  value,  exi)res.ses  the  wish  that  this  common 
nomenclature  may  ap])ear  with  the  briefest  possible  delay  in  the  statistical  tables  of  the 
gov«Tnnients  represented  at  the  conference,  and  hopes"  that  the  Belgian  Government 
may  be  willing  to  continue  its  co-operation  for  the  realization  of  this  program,  approves 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  233 

the  proposition  made  at  the  Brussels  Conference  for  the  creation  of  an  international 
bureau  of  commercial  statistics  for  the  purpose  of  centralizing  information  under  all  useful 
headings  to  give  to  the  commerce  of  the  whole  worKl  an  annual  summary,  and  as  soon  as 
possible  a  semi-annual  summary  and  eventually  a  monthly  summary  of  the  conmiercial 
movements  of  the  ditTerent  countries  of  the  globe,  arranged  in  conformity  with  the 
grouping  of  merchandise  adopted  by  the  aforesaid  conference,  adopts  the  resolution  that 
the  Belgian  Government  invite  without  delay  all  the  States  to  conclude  a  convention  as- 
suring the  execution  of  the  projected  work." 

These  are  the  suggestions  I  wish  you  to  adopt. 

M.  le  President:  Ces  motions,  sur  lesquelles  nous  aurons  ii  voter,  sont  traduites  en 
anglais  et  en  allomand;  je  vous  en  donnerai  done  lecture  tout  b.  I'heure  dans  les  trois  langues. 
Pour  ne  pas  perdre  de  temps,  je  donne  la  parole  h  M.  W.  M.  Hays,  assistant-secretaire  de 
I'agriculture  i\  Washington. 

(Translation) 

These  motions  on  which  we  shall  have  to  vote  are  translated  into  English  and  Ger- 
man and  1  will  read  them  to  you  later  in  the  three  languages.  Not  to  lose  time  I  give 
the  floor  to  Mr.  W.  M.  Hays,  Assistant  Secretary  of  Agriculture  at  Washington. 


Mr.  W.  M.  Hays,  Assistant  Secretary  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen: 

I  am  at  some  disadvantage  in  discussing  this  question  at  the  present  point,  but  I  da 
wish  to  discuss  for  a  few  moments  a  broader  side  of  this  subject  of  international  statistics^ 
somewhat  from  the  standpoint  of  all  our  markets.  I  sincerely  hope  that  you  will  carry  this 
motion  in  some  such  form.  I  don't  know  the  exact  form  of  your  motions.  This  matter  of 
international  statistics,  world-area  statistics,  not  only  of  agricultural  products  but  of  manu- 
factured products  and  all  products  in  store,  needs  to  be  followed  out  in  its  complete  form,  as 
is  demonstrated  not  only  by  the  work  done  by  the  statistical  bureau  of  this  country  and  by 
the  bureaus  of  other  countries,  but  by  the  bureau  of  statistics  of  the  International  Institute 
of  Agriculture  at  Rome,  which  deals  with  those  international  statistics  that  have  gradually, 
as  our  good  friend  from  Belgium  suggests,  come  under  a  common  nomenclature  for  the  entire 
world. 

Those  statistics  are  becoming  useful  and  we  need  such  statistics  in  our  markets.  They 
should  not  be  prepared  so  much  by  bureaus  of  the  markets  themselves  or  by  private  firms  in 
connection  with  those  markets,  but  by  public  bureaus.  They  will  be  useful  not  only  in  the 
locality  where  products  are  originally  dealt  with,  but  in  the  places  where  they  are  to  be  dis- 
tributed. These  statistics  will  greatly  help  the  producers,  the  farmers,  particularly  those 
producing  peri.-^hable  products,  as  well  as  being  of  assistance  to  the  market  agencies.  They 
will  help  in  the  carrying  of  the  right  amount  of  products  to  the  markets  all  the  time,  as  well 
as  keeping  more  steady  supplies  of  products.  This  will  have  an  important  bearing  on  the 
handling  of  the  pro<iuct,  will  steady  and  balance  things  up  and  will  be  much  better  for  peo- 
ple all  along  the  line. 

The  trade  statistics  are  drifting  gradually  from  private  agencies  to  public  agencies. 
Some  one  might  say  at  once  that  the  statistics  of  perishable  products  are  so  difficult  to  deal 
with  they  cannot  be  handled  by  a  public  agency;  but  let  me  call  to  your  attention  the  inade- 
quate and  bad  handling  of  the  statistics  by  private  agencies.  If  the  thing  could  be  guaranteed 
in  some  public  agencies  so  that  accurate  figures  could  be  obtained  in  the  way  of  original  sta- 
tistics at  the  point  where  the  products  are  produced  and  figures  showing  how  the  supply 
fluctuates  from  day  to  day,  also  obtaining  statistics  of  the  consuming  market,  where  the  con- 
suming power  also  fluctuates  from  day  to  day,  if  all  these  statistics,  dealing  with  the  pro- 
ducer, the  merchant,  the  transporting  agencies  and  the  consumer,  could  be  handled  in  one 
way,  it  would  be  a  great  advantage  to  the  countrj'. 


234  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

So  1  »ay  that  we  need  to  bring  more  and  more  of  these  statistics  into  public  agencies, 
leaving  to  the  markets  their  proper  function,  which  Ls  that  of  melting  that  which  is  gathered 
together  daily  in  the  daily  jirice.  In  agriculture,  and  in  many  other  lines,  we  want  not  only 
the  stati-xtics  of  production  but  the  statistics  of  stocks  in  transit,  of  stocks  in  store,  of  manu- 
facturetl  protluct.s  which  enter  into  competition  with  the  products  produced  in  fumMiing  a 
basis  for  the  price;  and  we  even  need  statistics,  possibly  publicly  gathered,  as  to  the  ability 
of  the  consuming  public  that  consumes  a  given  product,  so  as  to  reduce  the  market  agencies 
more  nearly  to  their  one  function  —  melting  these  down  into  daily  prices. 

The  producers  of  cotton  in  this  and  other  countries  have  come  to  give  up  their  facts  as 
to  production.  The  manufacturers  will  see  that  it  is  fair  that  they  give  up  the  prices  concern- 
ing their  stocks  in  hand,  and  the  consuming  public  certainly  will  be  glad  to  have  told  the 
facts  a.'<  to  their  purchasing  power  and  to  be  told,  if  need  be,  under  public  bureaus. 

I  believe  most  sincerely  that  if  we  can  extend  to  these  jjublic  agencies  all  along  the  line 
—  not  in  connection  with  the  splendid  plans  with  reference  to  tarilTs  and  these  large  move- 
ments, but  generally  so  as  to  handle  facts  regarding  the  movements  of  our  products,  the 
quantities  at  one  end  and  the  requirements  of  the  consumer  at  the  other  end  —  it  will  help 
to  smooth  out  the  inequalities,  the  difhculties,  wrongs,  irritations  of  our  whole  trade  situa- 
tion; and  with  this  data  in  hand  it  may  be  that  world  commissions,  some  world  agencies, 
may  be  able  to  work  out  a  better  scheme  of  marketing  with  a  lessened  amount  of  this  irritat- 
ing speculation  on  margins  that  we  now  have.  WTiatever  is  done  in  this  way  must  be  done 
in  a  careful  and  most  constructive  way,  not  in  an  arbitrary  or  weak  way,  but  in  a  most  com- 
prehensive way;  and  I  do  not  know  of  any  agency  able  to  handle  the  question  with  the  breadth 
and  intricacy  needed,  short  of  some  sort  of  world  commission.  The  International  Institute 
of  Agriculture  at  Rome,  possibly  co-operating  with  some  such  commission  as  you  contemplate, 
may  give  a  great  deal  of  help  in  this  matter.  Manj-  things  wrought  out  by  Mr.  Lubin  and  his 
associates  will  be  of  great  use  in  elaborating  the  jilans  that  you  and  I  have  in  mind. 

So  far  as  agricultural  statistics  for  world  areas  are  concerned,  the  agencies  are  well  es- 
tablished in  connection  with  this  institution  at  Rome,  and  institutions  in  the  various  coun- 
tries, tmder  the  guidance  and  inspiration  of  the  Bureau  of  Agriculture  at  Rome,  might  be 
able  to  do  verj-  much.  The  various  agencies  in  the  different  coimtries,  as  Lubin  tells  me, 
are  gradually  increasing  and  perfecting  their  industries  and  have  worked  out  these  statistics 
of  production  in  the  various  countries.  Then,  as  you  suggest,  Mr.  Allard,  they  divide  them 
into  two.  They  use  the  local  statistics  as  they  need  them  and  give  to  the  statistical  agencies 
the  figures  needed  for  world  business  and  the  handling  of  world  products. 

The  most  significant  fact  in  this  entire  matter  does  not  specifically  concern  markets, 
nor  tariffs,  nor  nomenclature,  nor  methods  of  gathering  and  distributing  statistics,  nor  of 
marketing  i)roducts,  nor  of  removing  the  frenzied  finance,  the  gambling,  or  the  irritation  to 
trade  from  our  margin  markets.  The  significant  fact,  as  best  illustrated  by  the  International 
Institute  of  Agriculture,  is  that  we  have  begun  to  think  and  act  in  the  terms  of  a  world  gov- 
ernment. And  may  we  not  hope  that  as  the  machinery  of  world  government  is  developed 
the  exigencies  of  business  may  greatly  contribute  to  the  organization  of  a  world  government 
which  will  assure  world  peace  among  the  nations  as  our  national  governments  now  prevent 
war  among  their  federated  states. 

When  world  business  clearly  sen.ses  the  fact  that  a  world  police,  with  a  local  police  for 
the  internal  affairs  of  each  nation,  is  a  business  neccssit}',  we  shall  have  another  large  influ- 
ence for  the  organization  of  that  world  republic  which  now  seems  easier  to  org:uiize  and  to 
«ndow  with  stability  than  did  the  creation  of  a  great  Rejjublic  when  the  Thirteen  American 
Colonics  were  struggling  to  form  a  progressive  government. 

A  really  efficient  and  powerful  commission  to  study  world  trade  might  do  wonders  in 
the  interest  of  trade,  and  e.'^pecially  in  the  interest  of  the  producer  and  the  consumer,  the 
common  people  who  hereafter  must  pay  the  high  costs  of  living.  Such  a  commission  cer- 
tainly would  do  a  large  service  in  the  interests  of  world  i)eace,  of  organizing  the  world  in  the 
interests  of  the  whole  world. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  235 

M.  le  President:  Jo  remercie  I'orateur  de  ses  remarques  sur  la  question  des  statistiquea 
relatives  h  I'agriculture.  Ce  qu'il  a  dit  n'a  rien  qui  soit  oppos6  aux  conclusions  de  M.  AUard, 
dont  je  vous  donnerai  lecture  tout  i\  I'heure.    M.  Fhaser  a  demands  la  parole. 

(Translation) 

I  thank  the  speaker  for  his  remarks  relative  to  agricultural  statistics.  What  he 
has  said  is  not  opposed  to  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Allard,  which  I  will  read  to  you  in  a 
moment.    Mr.  Fraser  has  requested  the  floor. 

Mr.  R.  S.  Fraser,  Member  of  Council  of  London  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mr.  rrcsidcnt,  I  would  not  have  been  a  participator  in  this  discussion  had  not  a  friend 
been  unavoidably  prevented  from  being  present.  I  would  much  rather  not  discuss  the  paper, 
but  draw  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  writer  does  not  make  reference  to  the  progress  that 
has  been  made  since  the  j-ear  1908,  when  this  matter  came  first  before  this  as.sociation.  A 
committee  was  then  appointed  to  consider  and  investigate  the  matter  and  formulate  pro- 
posals, and  my  friend  Mr.  Musgrave,  secretary  of  the  London  Chamber  of  Commerce,  read 
an  exceedingly  able  paper  at  the  London  Congress  in  the  year  1910.  With  your  permission 
I  will  read  to  you  a  short  resolution  that  was  then  approved. 

"This  Congress  is  of  opinion  that  uniformity  in  the  compilation  of  customs  statistics, 
and  particularly  in  rcgaril  to  methods  of  valuation  of  imports  and  exports,  is  of  the  highest 
economic  importance,  and  commends  the  subject  to  the  attention  of  the  different  governments 
and  to  the  International  Statistical  Institute." 

Now,  sir,  the  International  Statistical  Institute  did  hold  a  meeting  last  year  at  The  Hague 
when  two  verj-  remarkable  and  notable  offers  w-ere  made  by  the  governments  of  Switzerland 
and  Holland  in  the  waj'  of  taking  particular  steps  for  establishing  a  permanent  bureau  for 
handling  this  very  subject.  I  will  read  you  from  the  report  of  last  year.  Monsieur  Milier, 
official  delegate  of  Switzerland,  immediately  arose  and  declared  in  the  name  of  his  govern- 
ment that  they  were  ready  to  take  the  necessary  steps  for  the  foundation  of  an  international 
statistical  office  by  engaging  at  once  in  an  arrangement  between  the  governments  of  the  dif- 
ferent countries.  The  representative  of  the  Netherlands  arose  and  announced  on  behalf  of 
his  government  that  they  were  prepared  not  only  to  take  the  necessary  steps  to  promote  the 
establishment  of  an  international  statistical  office,  but  would  also  meet  the  expense  of  such  an 
office  up  to  a  certain  maximum  for  the  first  two  years.  Now,  sir,  my  suggestion  is  that  we 
take  with  sincerity  the  commission  appointed  by  this  association  in  the  year  1908  and  af- 
firmed in  1910  and  also  the  commission  appointed  by  the  International  Statistical  Institute, 
and  we  should  ask  those  two  commissions  to  confer  together  with  a  view  to  availing  ourselves 
of  the  offers  of  the  two  governments  that  1  have  mentioned.  I  support  with  all  heartiness 
the  proposition  of  my  friend  Allard,  and  ask  you  please  merely  to  treat  my  criticisms  as  of  a 
friendly  character,  intended  to  strengthen  his  hands  and  not  in  any  way  to  derogate  from  the 
force  of  the  arguments  which  he  has  used. 

M.  le  President:  L'orateur  vient  done  de  dcmander  quo  Ton  s'arrangc  pour  que  les 
deux  conferences  qui  existent  dejil  jiuissent  correspondre  entre  elles,  de  maniere  k  renforcer 
leur  action  respective. 

J'ai  encore  conmie  orateur  inscrit  M.  Soetbeer. 

{Translation) 

The  speaker  would  therefore  ask  that  it  should  be  arranged  so  that  the  two  con- 
ferences which  already  exist  might  correspond  with  each  other,  in  order  to  reinforce 
their  respective  action. 

I  have  another  speaker  on  the  order  of  the  day.  Dr.  Soetbeer. 


236  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Dr.  Soetbeer,  General  Secretary  of  "  Der  Deutsche  Handelslag,"  Berlin 

Miiiu-  Hcrren!  E^  ist  noch  nicht  hinrcichend  bekannt  geworden,  welche  Stellung  die 
einzolncn  RogiorunKon  einnchmen  zu  den  Vorschliigen,  die  in  Brussel  zur  Vereinheitlichung 
dor  intomutionjilen  H!indol.s-8tatistik  gcmacht  wordcn  sind.  Ich  gestatte  mir  daher,  hier 
mitzuU'ilen,  daC  djus  Kaiserlich-Stali.-<tischc  Aint  des  Deutschen  Reichs  durchaus  auf  dem 
liodcn  (ItT  Hrusst'ler  lieschlusse  steht,  da(3  gcmiiC  den  Wiinschen,  die  dieser  KongreC  schon 
fnihcr  gcauCtTt  hat,  es  jils  ein  groCer  Fortsohritt  anzusehon  ist,  wenn  die  verschiedenen  Sta- 
tLstiken  der  vcn*ohio<lpnen  Uinder  in  gleiche  Gruppen  gebracht  werden.  Das  Kaiscrlich- 
Statistiiwhc  Ami  des  Deutschen  Reichs  sieht  keine  uniiberwindlichen  Schwierigkeiten  darin, 
die  deutsche  Statistik  auf  die  185  Gruppen,  die  die  Bnisseler  Beschlusse  vorschlagen,  einzu- 
richten. 

Daa  Deutsche  Kaiserlich-Statistische  Amt  ist  femer  damit  einverstanden,  daC  in  Brussel 
ein  Internationales  Statistisches  Bureau  zur  weiteren  Forderung  dieser  Bestrebungen  einge- 
richtot  wird.  Man  hat  mir  gesagt,  da6  es  nicht  an  der  deutschen  Regierung  liegt,  wenn  die 
Angelegenheit  nicht  schneller  vorivarts  geht,  und  dafi  es  die  deutsche  Regierung  begnifien 
wnirde,  wenn  dieser  KongrcC  dahin  wirkt,  daC  auch  die  anderen  Staaten  sich  schneller  ent- 
Bchlossen,  zu  den  Bnisseler  Vorschlagen  Stellung  zu  nehmen,  damit  das  Ziel  erreicht  wird, 
daa  sich  der  KongreC  durch  seine  friiheren  Beschlusse  gesteckthat. 

{Translation) 

Gentlemen,  it  is  not  yet  entirely  kno^\Ti  what  position  the  various  governments 
adopt  towards  the  proposals  which  were  drawn  up  at  Brussels  for  the  unification  of 
international  commercial  statistics.  I  take  the  liberty,  therefore,  of  stating  here  that 
the  Imperial  Statistical  Bureau  of  the  German  Empire  is  based  entirely  on  the  principle 
of  the  Brussels  resolves,  according  to  the  suggestion  which  had  already  been  previously 
expressed  by  this  Congress  that  it  would  be  a  great  step  for^vard  if  the  various  statis- 
tical tables  of  the  various  countries  could  be  arranged  in  identical  groupings.  The 
Imj)erial  Statistical  Bureau  of  the  German  Empire  does  not  see  any  insurmountable 
difiiculties  in  the  way  of  dividing  the  German  statistics  into  the  1S5  groups  propcsed 
by  the  Brussels  resolves. 

The  German  Imperial  Statistical  Bureau  further  agrees  that  an  international  sta- 
tistical bureau  might  be  established  in  Brussels  for  the  further  advancement  of  these 
purposes.  I  have  been  told  that  it  is  not  the  fault  of  the  German  Government  that 
the  matter  does  not  make  greater  progress  and  that  the  German  Government  would 
be  glad  if  this  Congress  should  take  steps  to  persuade  other  States  to  decide  more 
quickly  to  act  on  the  Brussels  proposals,  in  order  that  the  aim  may  be  attained  which 
ha.s  been  set  by  the  Congress  in  its  previous  resolves. 

M.  le  President:  M.  Shoninqer  a  demand^  la  parole. 

(Translation) 

Mr.  Shoninqer  requests  the  floor. 


Mr.  Bernard  J.  Shoninger,  PrcsidcrU  of  the  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  Paris 

I  have  only  a  few  words  to  say.  We  from  the  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  Paris 
and  I  think  the  representatives  of  American  commercial  organizations  present,  are  heartily 
in  favor  of  the  project  as  submitted  by  my  friend  Mr.  Allard.  We  have  onlj'  one  suggestion 
to  make.  Just  before  —  in  fact,  the  day  before  I  left  Paris  —  I  had  the  honor  of  speaking, 
in  the  absence  of  the  Minister  of  Finance,  to  his  chief  secretarj',  who  advii^ed  me  that  the 
French  Government  had  decided  to  invite  —  and  possibly  the  invitations  had  been  already 
sent,  for  May,  1913,  —  all  governments  to  participate  in  a  second  congress  which  they  call, 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  237 

—  and  as  I  have  the  official  program  before  me  I  will  read  from  that  —  the  Deuxii^me  Con- 
gr6s  Douanidre,  —  and  the  program  which  I  w  ill  read  to  you  afterwards  is  exactly  on  the 
lines  proposoil.  I  have  no  authority  to  say  so,  but  I  think  that  if  we  would  all  agree  to  adopt 
in  princii)le  the  jiropositions  as  proposed  by  Mr.  Allard,  and  besides  that  use  our  influence 
so  that  all  the  governments  will  be  represented  at  this  congress  to  be  held  in  Paris  in  May, 
1913,  which  you  see  is  only  six  months  hence,  a  little  over  six  months  hence,  that  a  great  step 
forward  will  be  made  in  the  much  to  be  desired  unification  of  statistics.  Besides  the  ques- 
tions put  forward  here  there  are  one  or  two  others.  I  have  the  program  in  French.  I  will 
read  it  in  French  and  then  give  those  that  do  not  understand  the  French  the  translation. 

(Mr.  Shoninger  reads  the  French  program  of  the  Deuxihne  Congrhs  Douaniere,  to  be  held 
in  Paris  in  May,  1913.) 

You  therefore  see  that  the  French  Government  has  virtually  adopted  the  formation  of 
an  international  bureau. 

Now  I  will  try  to  state  this  for  those  that  do  not  understand  the  French.  There  are  five 
sections  put  here  inviting  other  governments  to  participate  in  this  congress  in  May,  1913. 
The  French  Government  virtually  accepts  in  principle  two  of  the  most  important  questions 
that  are  now  before  you.  The  first  and  the  last  are  those  that  are  adopted.  The  others  are 
a  little  bit  irrelevant  to  this,  but  still  come  into  the  Congress.  The  first  is  the  interest  that 
would  attach  to  the  creation  of  an  international  bureau  of  statistics,  so  as  to  group  all  the 
information  both  for  imports  and  exports  from  all  the  different  countries  and  to  establish  a 
table  that  would  indicate  at  a  glance  their  movements.  That,  of  course,  the  French  Govern- 
ment has  adopted  because  they  ask  you  to  join. 

Second,  how  to  establish  relations  that  would  regulate  two  questions,  —  commercial 
travelers  first,  and  their  samples,  second.  This  is  irrelevant,  but  it  interests  everj-body. 
Third,  to  study  questions  that  would  do  away  with  the  payment  of  duties  on  merchandise 
that  would  be  imported  on  approval.  Fourth,  w'ould  it  not  be  desirable  to  establish  some 
kind  of  a  board  whereby  all  questions,  or  customs  questions,  under  discussion  in  all  coun- 
tries would  be  left  to  a  certain  board  of  experts?  And  then  this  question  is  subdivided  again: 
Will  it  be  be.st  to  submit  that  to  a  board  of  experts  composed  of  legal  experts  or  only  to  those 
connected  with  custom-houses? 

Now  I  will  come  to  the  last  question,  but  which  also  touches  the  question  before  us. 
Wouldn't  it  be  well  to  pursue  the  study  by  which  some  international  agreement  would  be 
arrived  at,  tending  to  adopt  a  definition,  a  uniform  definition  as  to  what  constitutes  net  weight 
and  gross  weight,  in  order  to  apply  that  to  all  custom-house  questions? 

So  that  you  see  the  first  and  last  questions  on  which  the  French  Government  has  asked 
all  governments  to  join  is  heartily  accepted  by  them  and  they  want  your  accord.  We  are 
heartily  in  accord  with  all  these  questions.  The  only  little  difference  of  opinion  is  m  regard 
to  the  questions  raised  by  Mr.  Allard.  We  would  probably  be  asked  to  invite  the  Belgian 
Government  to  have  another  Congress  on  this  same  subject.  \Miether  to  have  it  before  or 
after  that  of  the  French  Government  is  for  you  to  decide.  I  thought  it  was  my  duty,  having 
been  entrusted  with  this  matter,  to  bring  it  before  you.  Gentlemen,  I  thank  you  for  your 
attention. 


M.  le  President:  Tous  les  orateurs  semblent  done  d'accord.  Je  m'en  vais  maintenant 
vous  donner  lecture  des  conclusions  de  M.  Allard  dans  Ics  trois  langues,  pour  qu'il  n'y  ait 
pas  de  confu.sion.     La  discussion  est  clo.se. 

{Lecture  (les  conclusions  dans  les  trois  langues.) 

Voila  done  dans  les  trois  langues  la  premiere  partie  des  conclusions  de  M.  Allard.  Je 
les  mets  aux  voix.  Que  ceux  qui  sont  d'avis  de  I'adoptcr  Invent  la  main.  {Levie  de  mains.) 
L'(5preuve  contrairc.  (Fersonne  ne  Itve  la  main.)  II  n'y  a  pas  d'objection.  Cette  premiere 
partie  est  done  adopt6e. 

Vient  maintenant  dans  la  proposition  dc  M.  Allard  un  second  point: 


238  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

"  Anprouvcr  la  proposition  faite  h  la  conf^-rence  de  Bruxelles  de  voir  cr6er  un  bureau  intei^ 
nationiu  de  la  ntatistique  commercialc,  charge?  de  centraliser  toutos  les  indications  nf^cessaires 
ix)ur  donner  un  aj)en,-u  annuel,  Hcmestriel,  mcnsuel,  r6dig6  conformC'ment  a  un  groupement 
de.s  niarchaniiise-s  adopts  par  la  conference  susditc." 

Que  ceux  qui  sont  d'avis  d'adopter  les  termes  de  cette  proposition  Idvent  la  main.  (Le- 
vie  de  mains.)     L't'preuve  contraire.     Adopt<5e. 

Enfin,  M.  AUanl  tannine  en  ^mettant  "Ic  vceu  que  le  gouvemement  belpe  invite  sans 
retard  tous  les  pays  ii  conclure  une  convention  sur  la  mise  en  a?uvre  des  travaux  projet^." 
La  communication  de  M.  Shoninger  fait  connaltre  que  le  gouvemement  fran^ais  marche  de 
son  c6{6. 

Enfin,  c'est  un  vocu  que  nous  pouvons,  je  jiense,  6mettre  dans  tous  les  cas.  II  vaut  mieux 
qu'il  y  ait  deux  gouvemements  qui  s'occupent  de  la  chose  qu'un  seul. 

(Lecture  de  la  conclusion  dcrnihre  en  anglais  el  en  allcmand.) 

Que  ceux  qui  sont  d'avis  d'adopter  cette  demiorc  proposition  It^vent  la  main.  [Lcvie  de 
mains.)  LY'preuve  contraire.  Le  Congr^s  adopte,  et  nous  pouvons  considdrer  cette  question 
comme  termin^e. 

{Translation) 

All  the  speakers  seem  then  to  agree.  I  will  now  read  to  j-ou  Mr.  Allard's  con- 
clusions in  the  three  languages  in  order  to  avoid  confusion.    The  discussion  is  closed. 

{Reading  first  three  paragraphs  of  resolulions  in  French,  German  and  English.) 

Here  is  then  in  three  languages  the  first  part  of  Mr.  Allard's  conclusions.  I  put 
them  up  for  a  vote.  Those  who  approve  the  adoption  thereof,  plea.se  raise  their  hands. 
{Raising  of  hands.)  Any  one  contrary'?  {No  hand  is  raised.)  There  is  no  objection. 
This  first  part  is  therefore  adopted. 

Now  in  the  proposition  of  Mr.  Allard  comes  a  second  point: 

"The  approval  of  the  propositions  made  at  the  Brussels  Conference  looking  to  the 
creation  of  an  international  bureau  of  commercial  statistics,  entrusted  with  the  centrali- 
zation of  all  necessar>'  indications,  aiming  at  giving  annual,  .'icmi-annual  and  monthly 
reports,  worded  in  accordance  with  the  grouping  of  the  merchandise  as  adopted  by  the 
aforementioned  conference." 

Those  who  favor  the  adoption  of  this  proposition,  please  raise  their  hands.  {Raising 
of  hands.)    Those  who  do  not?    Adopted. 

Lastly,  Mr.  Allard  concludes  with  the  wish  that  the  Belgian  Government  invite 
without  delay  all  the  countries  to  conclude  an  agreement  to  put  in  operation  the  pro- 
jected work.  Mr.  Shoninger's  communication  informs  us  that  the  French  Government 
is  proceeding  in  the  same  direction. 

It  is  then  a  resolution  which  we  can,  I  believe,  adopt  in  any  case.  It  is  better 
that  two  governments  attend  to  the  matter  than  one. 

{Reads  last  resolution  in  English  and  German.) 

Those  who  arc  in  favor  of  adopting  this  latter  proposition  will  please  raise  their 
hands.  {Hands  are  raised.)  Those  opposed?  The  Congress  adopts  the  resolution,  and 
we  may  consider  this  question  as  closed. 

{The  French  and  English  text  of  the  resolulions  will  be  found  in  Mr.  Allard's  address  on 
a  previous  page;  the  German  text  is  as  folloivs:) 

Der  KongreC  spricht  seine  Anerkcnnung  aus  iibcr  die  .scitens  der  bolgischen  Regierung 
ergriffcne  Initiative  bci  der  Zusammenhcrufung  von  zweiundzwimzig  Staaten  in  Brlissel,  am 
19ten  Sejitember  1910,  zum  Zweck  der  Feststellung  von  Mitteln  und  Wegen,  um  groCere 
tlbereinstimmung  und  Gleichmiifiigkeit  in  der  Aufstellung  kommerzieller  Statistiken  in  der 
Welt  herbeizufiihren;  erteilt  seine  Zustimmung  zum  BeschluC  der  besagten  Konferenz,  demzu- 
folge  jedcr  der  in  Betracht  kommenden  Stajiten.  aufier  der  regelmalMgcn  kommerzicllen  Sta- 
tist ik,  eine  gemcinschaftliche  Kla.ssifizierung  aufstcllt,  nach  der  E.xport-  und  Import -Guter 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  239 

mit  der  doppelten  Spezifikation  von  Gewicht  und  Wert  gnippiert  werdcn;  driickt  den  Wunsch 
aus,  dal3  diese  gemeinschaftliche  Klassifizierung  in  den  stafischen  Tabellen  der  Regierungen, 
die  auf  der  Konferenz  vertrcten  waren,  tunlichst  bald  erscheinen  miigen ;  und  driickt  seine 
Zuversicht  aus,  daC  die  belgische  Regierung  auch  in  der  Zukunft  der  Verwirklichung  dieses 
Planes  sympathisch  gegeniiber  stehen  und  dcnselben  fordern  wird. 

Der  Kongrefi  di-iickt  ferner  seine  Zustimmung  zu  deni  auf  der  Briisseler  Konferenz  ge- 
machten  Vorschlag  aus,  demzufolge  ein  Internationales  Statistisches  Bureau  eingerichtet 
werden  soil,  dessen  Obliegenlieit  es  sein  soil,  alle  fiir  den  \\'elthandel  niitzlichen  Data  zusam- 
meuzustellen  und  in  cineni  jahrlichcn  Bericht  zu  veroffent lichen,  niit  der  weiteren  Benierkung, 
da(5  dieser  Bericht  tunlichst  bald  alle  sechs  Monate,  und  schlieChch  alle  Monate  erscheinen 
soil,  wobei  besagter  Bericht  die  konmierzielle  Statistik  der  verschiedenen  Lander  des  Erdballs 
auf  Grund  der  von  oben  besagter  Konferenz  adoptierten  gemeinschaftlichen  Klassifizierung 
enthalten  soil;  und  er  driickt  ferner  den  Wunsch  aus,  die  belgische  Regierung  moge  ohne 
Verzug  alle  Staaten  einladen,  ein  Abkommen  zu  trefifen,  das  die  Verwirklichung  obigen  Wer- 
kes  moglich  macht. 


VALIDATION    OF    THROUGH-ORDER-NOTIFY    BILLS    OF    LADING 

M.  le  President:  Nous  abordons  I'objet  suivant  de  I'ordre  du  jour  qui  est:  "Confe- 
rence Internationale  sur  la  validite  des  Coimaissements  directs  b,  ordre,  et  utility  d'une  legis- 
lation et  d'autres  moj-ens  rendant  leur  systeme  plus  eflBcace." 

Nous  avons  un  tres  bon  rapport,  pr6sente  par  M.  Charles  S.  Haiqht,  de  New-York,  qui 
debute  par  un  r6sume,  afin  de  permettre  i\  ceux  qui  ne  veulent  pas  le  lire  en  entier  d'en  avoir 
rapidement  connaissance. 

La  parole  est  done  h  M.  Haight. 

(Translation) 

We  now  begin  the  next  subject  on  the  order  of  the  day  which  is:  "The  Desirability 
of  an  International  Conference  upon  the  Validation  of  Through-order-notify  Bills  of 
Lading  and  of  Legislation  and  Other  Means  for  making  the  System  more  Effective." 

We  have  a  very  good  report  presented  by  Mr.  Charles  S.  Haight  of  New  York 
which  begins  with  a  summary  in  order  to  permit  those  ^  ho  do  not  care  to  read  it  in  its 
entirety  to  quickly  obtain  an  acquaintance  with  the  subject. 

Mr.  Haight  has  the  floor. 


Mr.  Charles  S.  Haight,  Xew  York,  N.  Y. 

I  did  not  understand  when  I  was  asked  to  speak  before  you  that  it  was  my  privilege  to 
recommend  action  by  the  Congress.  You  will  not  find,  therefore,  in  my  pajier  any  reference  to 
action.  But  I  have  been  told  that  I  may  make  such  recommendations,  and  I  would  therefore 
propose  the  following: 

First,  a  resolution  that  this  Congress  approves  of  the  legislation  proposed  and  now  be- 
fore the  L'nited  States  Congress  in  the  way  of  the  Pomerene  Bill,  making  carriers  respon- 
sible on  their  bills  of  lading  where  issued  by  their  authorized  agents  after  they  have  passed 
into  the  hands  of  innocent  third  parties. 

Second,  a  resolution  that  this  Congress  approves  of  the  Cotton  Bills  of  Lading  Central 
Bureau  for  the  safeguarding  of  cotton  bills  of  lading  against  forgery-. 

Third,  —  a  point  which  I  have  not  yet  touched  upon,  —  that  this  Congress  recommend 
to  its  Permanent  Committee  a  consideration  of  the  desirabilitj-  of  an  international  congress 
for  the  promotion  of  uniform  laws  governing  international  carriers. 

It  has  been  my  privilege  to  represent  a  number  of  steamship  companies.    It  has  been 


240  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS     OF 

vcr>-  lucrative  for  lawyers,  but  extremely  dLsagreeable  for  them,  to  operate  under  the  con- 
ditions cxiMtinK  to-day,  which  are  that  in  Germany  a  certain  exemption  in  a  bill  of  lading  may 
be  perfectly  leRal,  but  in  Knghind  that  exemption  may  be  illoRal  and  void,  and  in  a  third  coun- 
tr>'  a  bill  of  lading  confaininK  that  exemption  may,  when  issued,  constitute  a  crime.  Inter- 
national bills  of  lading  are  necessarily  documents  in  which  at  least  two  countries  are  interested. 
It  is  quite  as  imiM)ssible  for  an  individual  to  accomplisli  the  feat  of  con.spiracy  or  matrunony  as 
it  is  for  a  single  nation  to  regulate  international  shipments.  You  must  have  international 
action.  And  a-s  I  know  the  situation  of  the  steamship  companies,  believe  me  they  would  be 
glad  to  co-<jperate  in  any  movement  which  would  enable  them  to  know,  once  and  for  all,  what 
exemptions  they  may  legally  incorj'orate  in  their  bills  of  lading  and  what  exemptions  are  for- 
bid<len.  If  an  international  conference  can  be  held  as  the  result  of  which  each  countrj*  delib- 
erately considering  the  question  may  agree  with  all  the  rest  of  the  commercial  world  as  to 
the  liabilities  from  which  an  ocean  carrier  or  a  rail  carrier  may  exempt  himself  and  those 
from  which  he  may  not,  you  will  save  the  largest  jiart  of  the  friction  which  to-day  exists  in 
all  the  countries  of  the  worl<l.  I  would  only  ask  that  in  such  a  conference  the  steamship 
companies,  which  are  so  valuable  to  international  trade,  should  not  necessarily  be  classed 
with  those  gotxl  old-fa.shioncd  bill  of  lading  evils,  the  act  of  God,  restraint  of  princes,  rulers 
and  people,  perils  of  the  sea,  barratry  and  the  like. 
I  thank  you.     (Applause.) 

M.  le  Pr6sident:  Je  lis  les  conclusions  dans  les  trois  langues. 

(Translation) 

I  will  read  the  conclusions  in  the  three  languages. 

(ReaJir.g,  as  follows:) 

I.  That  the  Congress  approves  the  legislation  now  pending  in  the  Congress  of  the 
I'nited  States  for  establi.'jhing  the  liability  of  carriers  on  bills  of  lading  issued  by  their 
agents  on  international  shipments. 

II.  That  the  Congress  views  with  satisfaction  the  Central  Bureau  System  for  valida- 
tion of  bills  of  lading  on  international  transactions. 

III.  That  the  Congress  refers  to  the  Permanent  Committee  the  consideration  of  an  in- 
ternational conference  to  promote  uniformity  in  the  laws  governing  the  liability  of  interna- 
tional carriers. 

I.  Que  le  Congr6s  approuve  la  It'-gislation  maintenant  sur  le  tajiis  au  Congrds  des 
Etats-Unis  ayant  trait  ^  I'c^tabli.'^scment  de  la  re.sponsabilito  des  francs-porteurs  si  propos 
dc  connai.s-^ements  (^-mis  par  leurs  agents  dans  des  exjH'ditions  intemationales. 

II.  (Jue  le  Congrds  voit  avec  satisfaction  le  systeme  d'un  bureau  central  pour  la  vali- 
dation des  connai.s.sements  dans  des  tran.sactions  intemationales. 

III.  Que  le  Congres  s'en  rapporte  au  comity  permanent  pour  la  consid«?ration  d'une  conft-r- 
ence  intemationale  pour  favoriser  I'uniformitd  dans  les  lois  qui  conccment  la  responsabilit6 
des  francs-porteurs  intemationaux. 

I.  Der  KongreB  driickt  hiermit  seine  Ubereinstimmung  aus  mit  dem  gegenwartig  dem 
Vereinigten  Staaten-Kongrefi  vorliegenden  Gesetzentwurf  uber  die  Verantwortlichkeit  der 
Verfrachter  beziiglich  der  Konnossemente,  die  von  ihren  Agenten  mit  Bezug  auf  intematio- 
nale Warensendungen  au.sgestellt  worden  sind. 

II.  Der  KongrelJ  driickt  hiermit  seine  Zustimmung  aus  zum  Zentral-Bureau-System  fur 
Validierung  von  auf  intemationale  Geschafte  beziiglichen  Konnossementen. 

III.  Der  KongrelJ  verwoist  hiermit  an  das  standige  Komitee  die  Erledigung  der  Frage 
einer  intem.it  ionalen  Konfercnz  iiber  die  Befordening  gleichmiiCiger  Gesetzgebung,  die  die 
Verantwortlichkeit  intomatiunaler  Verfrachter  zum  Gegenstand  hat. 

The  President:  I  have  now  registered  as  speaker  Mr.  Samxjel  E.  Piza,  of  Costa  Rica. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  241 


Mr.  Samuel  E.  Piza,  Delegate  of  the  Government  of  Costa  Rica 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen: 

The  question  brought  up  by  Mr.  Plaight  is,  in  my  opinion,  of  tlio  greatest  importance  of 
any  question  brought  before  the  Congress  to  this  moment.  It  really  deals  with  the  most 
important  part  of  international  transactions.  It  tends  to  prevent  forgery  in  general  and  mis- 
understandings between  the  merchants  of  one  country  and  another. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  treat  Mr.  Haight's  subject  as  a  whole,  but  I  will  only  point  out 
the  importance  of  the  first  part  of  it  —  that  is,  the  establishment  of  a  thorough  bill  of  lading. 
That  means  that  if  we  should  happen  to  obtain  a  system  of  having  the  bills  of  lading  made  out 
under  a  sound  responsibility  on  the  part  of  the  carriers,  we  are  jK'rfectly  .safe  to  deal  with  the 
bills  of  lading  without  having  to  obtain  any  otlier  information.  Perhaps  I  am  not  clear  enough 
on  that  point.  My  object  is  this.  For  instance,  even  when  forgery  is  not  the  cause  of  the 
trouble  in  any  international  transaction,  there  may  be  other  difficulties.  Suppose  the  goods 
are  lost?  The  fact  that  the  bill  of  lading  has  been  issued  under  a  thorough  responsibility  on 
the  part  of  the  shipper  and  the  carrier,  gives  the  insurance  company  itself,  through  the  agent 
where  the  goods  land,  a  document  upon  which  they  can  depend  for  the  payment  of  any  claim. 
Recently  in  my  countrj'  I  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  what  happened  in  connection  with  the 
claim  of  a  merchant  in  my  country'  for  some  goods  that  were  lost.  There  was  a  great  deal  of 
difficulty  because  the  insurance  company  wanted  docimients  from  Italy  and  documents  from 
the  government  custom-house  in  order  to  i)ay  the  railroad  companj*  the  claim,  which  they  were 
to  pay  the  merchant.  If  we  had  established  the  plan  of  making  out  bills  of  lading  under  a 
thorough  responsibility  of  the  shipper,  all  those  difficulties  would  be  avoided;  the  responsi- 
bility on  the  part  of  the  carriers,  on  the  part  of  the  railroads  themselves,  would  be  much  less 
in  such  cases.  In  fact,  gentlemen,  while  I  do  not  wish  to  discuss  the  subject  any  further,  I 
wish  to  express  my  greatest  desire  that  the  Congress  take  up  with  the  greatest  interest  the 
question  that  Mr.  Haight  has  brought  before  us.    (Applause.) 

M.  le  President:  Personne  ne  demande  plus  la  parole?  Je  vous  demande  done  de  voter 
sur  les  r(5solutions  dont  je  vous  ai  donne  lecture.  Je  ne  les  reprends  pas,  je  vous  demande 
eeulement  de  les  voter  une  k  une.    La  premiere : 

(Translation) 

Are  there  any  other  speakers?  I  will,  then,  ask  you  to  vote  on  the  resolutions  which 
I  have  just  had  read  to  you.  I  will  not  repeat  them  but  will  ask  j'ou  to  vote  for  them  one 
by  one.     First: 

"That  the  Congress  approves  of  the  legislation  now  pending  in  the  Congress  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  for  establishing  the  liabilities  of  carriers  on  bills  of  lading  by  their  agents  on  in- 
ternational shipments." 

Que  ceux  qui  sont  d'avis  d'adopter  cette  resolution  veuillent  bien  lever  la  main.    (Levie  de 
mains.)    L'dpreuve  contraire.    Pas  d'opposition.    Done,  adopt6e. 
Le  seconde  resolution: 

(Translation) 

Those  who  are  in  favor  of  adopting  this  resolution  will   please  raise  their  hands. 
(Hands  are  raised.)    Contrarj*  minded?    No  opposition.    It  is  a  vote. 
The  second  resolution: 

"That  the  Congress  views  with  satisfaction  the  Central  Bureau  System  for  validation  of 
bills  of  lading  on  international  transactions." 

Que  ceux  qui  sont  d'avis  d'adopter  cette  resolution  veuillent  bien  lever  la  main.    (Levfe 
de  mains.)     Pas  d'opposition.     Adoptee. 
La  troisieme: 


242  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

(Translation) 

Those  who  are  in  ffivor  of  adopting  this  resolution  will  please  raise  their  hands. 
{Hands  are  raixed.)    No  opposition.    Adopted. 
Third: 

"That  the  Congress  refers  to  the  Permanent  Committee  the  consideration  of  an  intema- 
tionnl  conference  to  promote  uniformity  in  the  laws  governing  the  liabilities  of  international 


Que  ceux  qui  sont  il'avis  d'adopter  cette  resolution  veuillent  bien  lever  la  main.  {Lev6e 
de  mains.)     Paa  d'opposition.     Adoptee. 

{Translalion) 

Those  who  are  in  favor  of  adopting  this  resolution  will  plea.se  raise  their  hands. 
{Hands  are  raised.)    No  opposition.    Adopted. 

M.  le  President:  Je  dois  vous  faire  connaitre  que  pour  dpuiser  notre  ordrc  du  jour,  il 
nous  reste  trois  questions  h  examiner;  nous  avons  r(5ser\'6  la  question  des  reformes  postales  et 
il  y  a  Ics  que.'Jtions  7  et  8.  fividcmment,  si  nous  somracs  certains  de  pouvoir  les  examiner  dans 
la  session  de  dcmain  matin,  i\  partir  de  dix  heuros,  nous  pourron.s  terminer  nos  travaux  de- 
main  dans  la  raatin6e,  vers  une  heure;  mais  si  nous  devons  si<^ger  dans  I'aprte-midi,  cette 
salle-ci  ne  sera  plus  disponible  et  nous  devrons  sidger  h  la  Public  Library,  en  face  de  cet  H6tel. 
Je  pense  que  le  mieux  est  de  continuer  la  discussion  aujourd'hui  —  il  est  4  heures  15  —  nous 
pourrons  dans  ces  conditions-lii  terminer  demain. 

{Translation) 

I  must  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  to  complete  our  order  of  the  day  there 
remain  three  questions  to  be  discussed;  we  have  postponed  the  question  of  postal  re- 
forms and  there  are  also  questions  7  and  8.  Of  course  if  we  are  certain  of  being  able 
to  discu.ss  them  in  the  morning  session  to-morrow,  to  start  from  ten  o'clock,  we  could 
finish  our  work  to-morrow  in  the  morning  towards  one  o'clock;  but  if  we  must  have  a 
session  in  the  afternoon,  this  hall  will  not  be  available  and  we  will  have  to  hold  the 
session  at  the  Public  Library  opposite  this  hotel.  I  think  that  the  best  way  is  to  con- 
tinue the  discussion  to-day  —  it  is  a  quarter  past  four  —  and  we  can  under  those  cir- 
cumstances finish  to-morrow. 

M.  Shoninger:  Je  vous  ferai  remarquer,  monsieur  le  president,  que  la  question  que 
vous  avcz  mise  au  vote  n'6tait  indiqude  que  pour  demain  matin,  et  qu'il  y  a  plusieurs  ddl6- 
gu6s  qui  ne  sont  pas  pr<5par6s  pour  parler  aujourd'hui  sur  ccttc  question,  tandis  que  la  ques- 
tion de  la  rdforme  postale  6tait  indiqude  pour  aujourd'hui. 

{Translation) 

I  will  call  your  attention,  Mr.  President,  to  the  fact  that  the  question  which  you  have 
put  to  vote  was  assigned  for  to-morrow  morning,  and  that  there  are  several  delegates 
who  are  not  prepared  to  speak  upon  it  to-day,  since  the  question  of  postal  reform  was 
as.'signed  for  to-day. 

M.  le  President:  Cette  question,  d'accord  avec  le  rapporteur  et  certains  orateurs,  a  6i6 
remi.se  i\  jeudi;  clle  (jtait  primitivemcnt  indiqude  pour  aujourd'hui.  Voici  ce  que  je  vous 
propo.serais:  que  demain  matin  nous  commencions  nos  travaux  k  dix  heures  prc'cises,  et  que 
nous  les  continuons  jusqu'il  une  heure,  s'il  le  faut.  Je  vous  serais  trds  obligd  d'ex-pliquor  la 
chose  h  vos  amis. 

{Translation) 

That  question,  with  the  consent  of  the  Reporter  and  certain  speakers,  ha-s  been  post- 
poned until  Thursday;  it  was  originally  designated  for  to-day.    I  would  make  this  sug- 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  243 

gestion:  that  to-morrow  morning  we  begin  our  work  at  ten  o'clock  precisely,  and  that 
we  continue  until  one  o'clock,  if  necessary.  I  should  be  greatly  obUged  if  you  would 
explain  the  matter  to  your  friends. 

M.  Shoninger:  La  question,  je  comprends,-  sera  encore  ouverte  ii  la  discussion  demain 
matin? 

{Trartslation) 

The  question,  I  understand,  will  be  still  open  to  discussion  to-morrow  morning? 

M.  le  President:  Oui.  Dans  ccs  conditions-lii,  done,  nous  ajoumons  k  demain.  Nous 
reprendrons  nos  travaux  k  di.x  heures  pr6cises,  avec  la  bonne  volont6  de  lea  continuer  jusqu'^ 
la  fin,  au  besoin  jusqu'A,  une  heure,  de  mani^re  k  ne  pas  avoir  de  session  dans  Taprds-midi. 

(Translation) 

Yes.  Under  these  conditions,  then,  we  shall  adjourn  until  to-morrow.  We  will  resume 
our  proceedings  at  10  o'clock  precisely,  with  the  intention  of  continuing  if  necessary 
until  1  o'clock,  in  order  not  to  have  a  session  in  the  afternoon. 

M.  Shoninger:  Si  vous  me  le  permettez,  je  dirai  que  pour  gagner  un  peu  de  temps  de- 
main  matin,  nous  pourrions  commencer  par  la  question  qui  n'est  pas  terminde.  Comme 
cela,  nous  aurons  8auvegard6  les  int6r§ts  de  tout  le  monde. 

{Translation) 

If  you  will  permit  me,  I  will  suggest  that  in  order  to  gain  a  little  time  to-morrow 
we  might  begin  with  the  question  which  is  not  concluded.  In  that  way  we  shall  have 
safeguarded  the  interests  of  everybody. 

The  President:  Gentlemen,  it  is  well  understood  that  we  will  begin  work  to-morrow 
morning  at  just  10  o'clock,  in  order  to  go  through  the  three  minor  points  and  finish  our  work, 
if  possible,  by  1  o'clock.    The  meeting  is  adjourned. 

Adjourned  at  4.20  p.m.,  to  meet  on  Thursday,  September  26,  at  10  a.m. 


244  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 


jTiftl)  Session 

Tlje  sos.'iion  was  pullod  to  order  at  in.  13  a.m.,  September  26,  1912,  Pre.^ident  Loris 
Canon-Leor.\nd  in  the  chair.  At  the  desk,  General  Secretar>'  £mile  Jottrand,  Mr.  Alfred 
GeoRG  and  Mr.  Edward  A.  Filene. 

President  Canon-Legrand 

Me.shieurs,  lu  s<^'ance  est  ouverte.    M.  L.\zard  demande  la  parole  sur  une  question  d'ordre. 

{Trantlaiion) 

Gentlemen,  the  session  is  opened.    Mr.  Lazard  asks  for  the  floor  on  a  question  of 
onier. 

Mr.  Louis  Lazard,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Brussels,  Belgium 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen,  on  behalf  of  the  Belgian  delegation  I  want  to  say  that  wc 
were  very  much  disai)pointed  in  reading  this  morning  in  the  Boston  papers  that  the  Belgian 
delegates  support  a  gentleman  who  spoke  yestenhiv  about  arbitration  and  interrupted  our 
pympathotir  President.  We  want  it  to  go  out  that  the  Belgian  delegates  to  this  Congress 
are  Mr.  Paul  Hagemans,  Consul  General  of  Belgium  in  the  United  States,  in  Philadelphia; 
Mr.  Adolphe  Charlct,  Vice-President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Brussels;  Mr.  Leon 
Chjiu-ssette  of  Brus-sels,  Mr.  Louis  Lazard  of  Brussels,  Mr.  lx)uis  Canon-Legrand,  our  Presi- 
dent, Mr.  fhnile  Jottrand,  our  General  SecretarA",  and  Mr.  Charles  Christojjhe  from  Ghent. 
We  know  no  other  delegate  from  Brussels,  or  from  Belgium.  We  have  thought  it  better 
that  these  few  words  should  be  said  at  the  beginning  of  this  morning's  session,  in  order  to  avoid 
any  misunderstanding.  We  do  not  want  the  delegates  to  think  that  we  supported  the  gen- 
tleman who  spoke  yesterday  and  who  is  not  known  to  the  Belgian  delegation.     (Applmtse.) 

Mr.  Edward  A.  Filene,  Vice-President,  at  this  j^oint  read  a  letter  from  Mr.  Eihvin  D. 
Mead  stating  his  position  in  the  matter. 


INTERNATIONAL  POSTAL  REFORMS  IN  VIEW  OF  THE  NEXT  CON- 
FERENCE   OF   THE    UNIVERSAL   POSTAL   UNION   IN    1913 

M.  le  President:  L'incident  est  clos.  Nous  abordons  maintenant  notre  ordre  du  jour. 
Nous  avons  i\  parlcr  des  r(?formes  postales  Internationales  en  \aie  de  la  proohaine  conference 
de  r Union  Postale  Universelle.  Le  rapporteur  est  M.  Gcorg.  Je  tiens  a  reix'ter,  messieurs, 
que  si  cette  question  a  6t6  remise  t\  la  s<5ance  de  ce  matin,  c'est  i\  la  demande  (ki  Postma.ster 
General  des  £tats-Unis,  et  non  pas  parce  que  M.  Georg  n'dtait  pas  pret  ^\  donner  lecture  de 
son  rapport  aussitdt  qu'on  I'aurait  voulu. 

{Traiislalion) 

The  incident  is  closed,  ^^'c  now  take  up  the  order  of  the  day.  We  have  to  speak  of 
international  postal  reforms  in  view  of  the  next  conference  of  the  Universal  Postal  Union. 
Tlic  Reporter  is  Mr.  Georg.  I  wish  to  repeat  that  if  this  question  has  been  postponed 
to  this  morning's  .ses.sion,  it  is  becau.se  of  tlie  riMjuest  of  the  Postmaster-General  of  the 
United  States,  and  not  because  Mr.  Georg  waa  unjirepared  to  read  us  his  report  when  it 
was  wanted. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  245 

Mr.  Alfred  Georg,  Vice-President  of  the  Geneva  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen: 

As  you  have  in  hand  the  English  translation  of  the  report  on  International  Postal  Re- 
forms, T  beg  leave  to  say  in  French,  my  own  language,  the  few  words  that  I  wish  to  add  in 
support  of  the  proposed  reforms. 

(Continuing  in  French) 
Monsieur  le  president  et  messieurs: 

S'il  est  exact  que  nos  congres  ont  pour  tdche  d'6tudier  les  moyens  de  facilitcr  le  com- 
merce international,  vous  estimerez  avec  moi  qu'il  est  superflu  dc  motiver  longuemcnt  les 
propositions  de  roforme  postale  que  vous  avez  sous  les  yeux.  Ces  propositions  sont  en  quel- 
([ue  sorte  la  r^'.sultante  des  discussions,  et  je  puis  ajouter,  des  reclamations  qui  se  sont  pro- 
duites  dcpuis  un  certain  nombre  d'ann6es  dans  le  sein  des  Chambres  de  commerce,  et  d'autres 
associations  similaires,  de  la  plupart  des  paj's  commergants  de  notre  globe. 

fividemment,  ces  propositions  sont  loin  de  comprendre  toutcs  les  demandes  qui  ont  6i6 
formul6es  ii  gauche  ou  h  droite,  et  je  comprendrais  fort  bien  que  I'un  ou  I'autre  d'entre  voua 
(h'sirat  completer  la  liste  des  postulats  exprirads  dans  la  conclusion  du  rapport;  mais,  mes- 
sieurs, dans  un  domaine  aussi  vaste  que  celui  des  relations  postales  intemationales,  il  faut 
sHVoir  se  rcstreindre,  en  se  disant  qu'il  chaque  jour  sufht  sa  peine,  et  qu'ici  comme  ailleurs, 
il  convient  dc  proc6der  par  t:!'tapes.    Qui  trop  cmbrasse  mal  (5treint. 

D'autres  trouveront  peut-6tre — et  j'ai  deji\  entendu  exprimcr  ici  cette  opinion  —  que 
nous  demandons  trop  5,  la  fois.  A  ceux-ljl  je  r^pondrai  que,  sans  manquer  de  modestie,  nous 
pouvons  et  nous  devons  demander  aux  Etats  de  I'Union  Postale  Universelle  de  r6aliser  dea 
reformes  dont  la  n6cessit6  n'est  plus  contestable. 

Les  delegu(5s  au  prochain  congrds  postal  universel,  reprdsentants  des  administrations 
postales  et  du  fisc  de  leur  pays,  objecteront  que  la  plupart  de  nos  demandes  auront  pour 
consequence  des  diminutions  de  recettes  auxquelles  ils  ne  pcuvent  souscrire;  mais  il  ces  pre- 
occupations d'ordre  financier,  nous  opposons  et  nous  continuerons  d'opposer  les  besoins  du 
commerce  et  de  I'industrie,  dont  la  poste  est  I'instrument  et  le  vehicule  le  plus  indispensable. 
Et  nous  pouvons  ajouter  que  ces  apprehensions  fiscales  —  I'expdrience  de  tons  les  pays  I'a 
montrde  —  ne  sont  pas  justifides,  ou  tout  au  moins  sont  fort  exag6r6es.  Plaie  d'argent  n'est 
I)as  mortelle,  et  un  nouveau  developpement  des  affaires,  consequence  certaine  de  I'adoption 
des  reformes  que  nous  demandons,  viendra  rapidement  combler  les  diminutions  de  recettes 
que  redoutent  les  representants  du  fisc. 

Ceci  dit,  je  passe  aux  questions  spcciales  qui  font  I'objet  du  rapport. 

Si  la  presidence  est  d'accord,  nous  pourrions,  en  vue  de  faciliter  les  dcbats  et  les  decisions 
finales,  prendre  I'une  apres  I'autre  les  propositions  formuiees.  Chaoune  d'elles  n'exigcra  que 
quelques  brefs  commentaires. 

(Translation) 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen: 

If  it  is  a  fact  that  the  ta.sk  of  our  Congress  is  to  study  means  of  facilitating  inter- 
national commerce,  jou  will  agree  with  me  that  it  i.s  superfluous  to  argue  at  length 
the  proposals  for  postal  reforms  which  you  have  before  you.  These  proposals  are  to 
some  extent  the  outcome  of  debates,  and  I  may  add  also,  of  complamts  which  have 
made  their  appearance  from  time  to  time  among  the  chambers  of  commerce  and  other 
similar  associations  of  most  of  the  commercial  countries  of  the  world. 

Clearly,  these  proposals  are  far  from  comprising  all  the  demands  which  have  been 
made  from  various  directions,  and  I  understand  very  well  that  some  of  you  will  wish  to 
add  to  the  list  of  suggestions  formulated  at  the  conclusion  of  the  report;  but,  gentlemen, 
in  a  subject  as  wide  as  that  of  international  postal  relations  we  must  exercise  some 
restraint,  and  be  a.s  patient  as  po.ssible,  since  here,  as  eLsewhere,  it  will  be  easier  to  ad- 
vance by  stages.    Who  tries  too  much,  succeeds  poorly. 


246  INTET^XATIOXAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Others  may  i)ossibIy  cun-ider  —  and  I  have  already  heard  the  opinion  expressed  — 
that  we  are  a>kinK  too  much  at  a  time.  To  these  I  would  reply,  with  all  due  modesty, 
that  we  can  and  we  should  demand  of  the  States  of  the  Universal  Postal  Union  the 
realization  of  the  reforms  whose  necessity  is  no  longer  debatable. 

The  delegates  to  the  approaching  Universal  Postal  Union  representing  the  postal 
and  financial  departments  of  their  countries  will  object  that  most  of  our  demands  will 
have  as  a  result  a  reduction  of  receipts  to  which  they  cannot  consent;  but  to  these 
financial  considerations  we  oppose  and  we  shall  continue  to  oppose  the  needs  of  commerce 
and  industrj',  of  which  the  postal  ser\'ice  is  the  most  indispensable  vehicle.  And  we  may 
add  that  the.«e  apprehensions  on  the  score  of  finance  —  the  experience  of  all  countries 
has  demonstrated  it  —  are  not  justified,  or  are  at  least  much  exaggerated.  A  wound  in 
the  jK>cketb<>ok  is  not  mortal,  and  the  further  development  of  business,  the  certain  result 
of  the  adoption  of  the  reforms  which  we  ask,  will  .speedily  offset  the  dimini.shed  receipts 
wliich  are  feare<l  by  the  rejircsentatives  of  the  trea.«ur>'. 

After  saying  thLs  I  will  now  pass  to  the  special  questions  which  are  the  object  of  the 
report. 

If  the  Chair  is  willing,  we  might  in  order  to  facilitate  debate  and  final  decision, 
take  up  the  drafts  of  the  resolutions  one  by  one.  Each  of  them  will  require  but  a  few  brief 
comments. 

M.  le  President:  M.  Georg,  vous  pourriez  pour  chaque  proposition  donner  lecture 
dana  les  trois  langues. 

{Translation) 

Ml.  Georg,  you  may  be  able  to  give  a  reading  of  each  of  the  proposed  resolutions 
in  the  three  languages. 

M.  Georg:  Messieurs,  pour  la  question  No.  1,  et  en  me  r^fdrant  aux  explications  qui  se 
trouvent  aux  pages  5  ct  G  du  rapport,  actuellement,  en  vertu  de  la  convention  postale  univer- 
selle  No.  1,  la  taxe  de  transport  est  de  25  centimes,  ou  leur  ^^quivalcnt,  pour  la  lettre  jusqu'ii 
20  grammes,  avec  supplement  de  15  centimes  pour  chaque  poids  ou  fraction  de  poids  de  20 
grammes.  Or,  le  commerce  demande  une  taxe  uniforme  de  10  centimes,  soit,  la  taxe  payde 
dans  le  trafic  interne  pour  le  meme  poids  ou  supplement  de  poids  dans  toute  lY'tendue  de 
rUnion  Postale,  I'impdt  <5tant  calculi  d'apres  le  sj-steme  mdtrique. 

Vous  savez  que  la  lettre  i  10  centimes  —  2  cents,  1  penny,  10  pfennigs,  etc.  —  a  ddji  6t6 
aflopt<!^e,  pour  une  partie  importante  du  trafic  international  et  intercontinental,  par  la  Grande 
Bretagne,  par  TAllemagne,  par  I'ltahe;  sa  generalisation  contribuerait  j\  donner  ^  cc  trafic 
un  puissant  essor,  favorable  h  I'extension  dcs  relations  commerciales. 

Je  vous  propose  done  dY-mettre  le  vocu  qui  porte  le  No.  1  dans  la  conclusion  du  rapport. 
J'en  donnc  lecture: 

1.  La  ta.xe  fix6  par  la  convention  postale  universelle  pour  le  transport  des  lettres  sera 
abais-s^e  de  25  centimes  ;\  10  centimes,  soit  i\  la  taxe  d'affranchissement  du  service  int^rieur. 
Cette  taxe  d'afTranchisscraent  sera  perdue  par  poids  ou  fraction  de  poids  de  20  grammes  dans 
toute  I'dtendue  de  1' Union  Postale,  le  poids  6tant  calcul6  d'apres  le  syst^me  m^trique. 

{Translation) 

Gentlemen,  in  regard  to  question  No.  1  and  referring  to  the  explanations  on  pages  5 
and  6  of  the  report  I  would  say  that  at  the  present  time,  by  virtue  of  Universal  Postal 
agreement  No.  1,  the  rate  of  postage  is  25  centimes  or  its  equivalent  for  a  letter  up  to 
20  grams  in  weight  with  an  addition  of  15  centimes  for  each  20  grams  or  fraction 
thereof.  Commerce,  however,  requests  a  uniform  rate  of  10  centimes;  in  other  words, 
the  rate  paid  for  domestic  postage  for  the  same  weight  or  additional  weight  throughout 
the  extent  of  the  Postal  Union,  the  tariff  to  be  based  according  to  the  metric  system. 

You  know  that  the  letter  rate  of  10  centimes  —  2  cents,  1  penny,  10  pfennig,  and 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  247 

so  forth  —  has  already  been  adopted  for  an  important  portion  of  international  and 
inter-continental  communications,  by  Great  Britain,  Gernianj',  Italy,  etc.  Its  gener- 
alization would  suffice  to  give  a  decided  impulse  to  this  traflBc  to  the  advantage  of  the  ex- 
tension of  commercial  relations. 

I  therefore  propose  to  pass  the  motion  which  is  marked  No.  1  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  report,  and  which  I  will  now  read: 

1.  The  rate  fixed  by  the  Universal  Postal  Convention  for  the  carriage  of  letters  shall 
be  reduced  from  25  centimes  to  10  centimes,  that  is,  to  the  tariff  rate  for  domestic  postage. 
Tliis  taritT  rate  shall  be  collected  by  the  weinht  or  fraction  of  the  weight  of  21)  grams 
throughout  the  extent  of  the  Postal  Union,  the  weight  being  calculated  by  the  metric 
system. 

M.  le  President:  Devons-nous,  messieurs,  faire  la  discussion  sur  ce  point  maintenant,  ou 
aller  jusqu'au  bout  et  prendre  le  vote  apres?  Je  vous  consulte  sur  ce  point.  II  est  pr6f(;rable 
d'allcr  jusqu'au  bout,  et  nous  reprendrons  les  points. 

(Translation) 

Gentlemen,  shall  we  debate  on  this  point  now  or  continue  to  the  end  and  vote 
afterwards?  I  beg  to  consult  the  meeting.  It  is  preferable  to  continue  to  the  end  and 
we  will  go  on  with  the  items. 

M.  Georg:  Je  prends  la  question  2.  Vous  savez,  monsieur  le  pr(5sident  et  messieurs,  que 
plusieurs  des  fitats  signataires  de  la  convention  postale  universelle  de  1906  ont,  au  b^nd'fice 
du  chifTre  III  du  protocole  final  de  cette  convention,  conserve  les  limites  de  poids  et  les  taxes 
de  la  pr(:cedente  convention  postale  de  Washington.  II  serait  k  desirer  que  ces  fitats  renon- 
cent  k  cette  prerogative,  et  c'est  pourquoi  nous  avons  formula  le  deuxi^me  voeu  comme  suit: 

2.  Les  Ktats  signataires  de  la  convention  postale  universelle  de  1906,  qui,  au  b6n6fice  du 
chifTre  III  du  protocole  final  de  cette  convention,  ont  conserve  les  limites  de  poids  et  les  taxes 
de  la  convention  postale  pr6c6dente,  renonceront  k  ce  r6gime  d'exception. 

Xous  passons  au  No.  3.  II  s'agit  ici  de  la  surtaxe  en  cas  d'absencc  ou  d'insuflBsance  d'af- 
franchissement.  L'article  5  de  la  convention  universelle  principale  fixe  au  double  de  la  taxe 
d'afTranchissement  la  surtaxe  k  payer  par  le  destinataire  des  lettres  et  des  cartes  postales  non 
afTranchies  qui  lui  ont  6i6  adres.s(5es.  En  cas  d'in.suffisance,  la  surtaxe  est  fixde  au  double  de 
cette  insufhsance. 

L'elevation  de  cette  surtaxe  lui  donne  le  caractfere  d'une  v6ritable  amende,  qui  est  d'au- 
tant  moins  justifi^e  que  cette  amende  frappe  le  destinataire  de  la  lettre,  qui  n'est,  en  aucun 
I  as,  fautif,  si  faute  il  y  a.  Nous  savons  d'ailleurs  que  le  travail  supplementaire  de  la  poste 
pour  les  envois  de  cette  nature  serait  largement  rctribue  par  une  taxe  beaucoup  jilus  rdduite, 
ft  c'est  pour  cela  que  nous  avons  formulc,  sous  le  chilTre  III,  la  proposition  suivante: 

3.  Dana  le  trafic  international,  la  surtaxe  perdue  par  la  poste  pour  absence  ou  insufiisance 
d'aflfranchissement  des  objets  de  la  poste  aux  lettres  sera  fix6e  uniformdment  i\  5  centimes. 

Nous  passons  au  No.  4:  Remise  au  destinataire  des  lettres  de  provenance  c'trangi^re. 

Messieurs,  cette  proposition  a  pu  dtonner  quelques-uns  d'entre  vous.  II  semble  naturel 
qu'une  lettre  remise  k  un  £tat  de  I'Union  Postale  par  un  autre  £tat  de  I'Union  Postale  soit 
remise  par  lui  au  destinataire.  Or,  on  m'a  cit6  un  cas  —  et  j'ai  eu  en  mains  la  preuve  de 
I'exactitude  du  reaseignement  qui  m'a  6i6  foumi  —  on  m'a  cit6  le  cas  d'une  administration  po.s- 
tale  —  c'etait  un  £tat  de  I'Europe  —  qui,  recevant  d'une  autre  administration  —  disons  de 
I'Australie  —  une  lettre  destinc'-e  t\  un  habitant  de  cet  £tat  de  I'Europe,  que  je  n'indiquc  pas, 
a  retoumce  cette  lettre  en  Australie,  ne  I'a  jias  livr^-e  au  destinataire,  parce  que  I'adresse  de 
cette  lettre  se  trouvait  sous  une  fendtre  transparente  dont  les  conditions  ne  r<5pondaient  pas 
exactement  aux  prescriptions  nationales  du  pays  destinataire. 

Messieurs,  d'autres  cas  analogues  de  r6glemcntation  nationale  peuvent  se  produire,  et 
c'est  pour  cela  que  nous  croyons  absolument  necessaire  de  fixer  cette  rf'gle,  k  savoir,  qu'une 


248  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

lettre  que  Tun  dcs  T^tats  de  I'L'nion  Postalc  rcnict  a  un  autre  £tat  do  rUnion  doit  fitre  remise 
au  de-stinatain*,  (|uelle  que  Hoit  I'apparence  exterieure  de  cette  lettre.  II  est  bien  entendu  que 
rai»|)arence  exK^rieurc  de  la  lettre  ne  doit  pajs  etre  contraire  aux  bonnes  ma-urs  et  i  I'ordre 
public;  mai.H  ♦•n  dehors  de  ces  exceptions,  toute  lettre  remise  h  un  £tat  de  I'Union  Postalc  par 
un  autre  lutat  doit  6tre  rcmbc  au  destinatuire.  C'est  pour  cela  que  nous  avons  formula  la 
projxjsition  suivante: 

4.  Lea  administrations  postalcs  des  fUats  de  I'Union  univcrselle  remettront  h  Icurs  des- 
tinatairc-s  toutes  Ics  lettre^  ferrates  qui  leur  pan'iennent  de  lY'tranger,  alors  m6me  que  I'ap- 
parence exterieure  de  ces  lettres  ne  serait  pas  conforme  h  la  r(5glcmentation  postale  du  pays 
de  destination. 

Nous  pa.ssons  maintonant  aux  ('■chantillons  de  marchandiscs.  La  convention  po-stale  imi- 
versclle  dL^iKiso  que  les  6chimtillons  de  niarchandi.ses  ne  doivent  pas  depasser  le  poids  de  350 
grajnuies  et  ne  doivent  pas  avoir  une  valeur  marchande.  Mes.sieurs,  en  pr6voj'ant  une  taxe 
de  tran-sport  nSJuite  pour  les  ^chantillons  de  marchandises,  on  avail  I'intention  de  favoriser 
le  trafic  de  cette  cat<^goric  d'envoi;  mais  la  condition  sp6ciale  h  laquelle  est  \i6e  la  n^duction 
de  la  tjixe  rend  illusoire  cette  facilit<?  dans  des  cas  tres  nombreux.  La  plupart  des  <5chantillons 
ont,  <5videmment,  une  valeur  marchande,  si  rainime  soit-elle,  et  le  tcrme  "valeur  marchande" 
est  tellement  ('•la.'ititjue  que,  n(!>ce!5.''airement,  il  a  donn(5  lieu  b.  des  interpretations  fort  diff6- 
rente.-*  dans  les  fttats  de  1' Union,  et  il  en  r^sulte  des  difficultds  et  des  complications  que  nous 
voulons  chercher  j\  faire  disparaltre. 

Ce  n'est  i):u<,  dison.s-nous,  I'absence  de  valeur,  mais  c'est  la  limitation  de  poids  qui  doit 
dtablir  la  distinction  necessaire  cntre  cette  catt-goric  d'envois  et  les  colis  qui  sont  .soumLs  aux 
taxes  et  aux  formalit<!''s  douani^res. 

Dans  la  plupart  dcs  pays,  le  commerce  estime  d'ailleurs  insufSsantc  la  limite  actuelle  de 
350  grammes,  et  le  congrfes  des  Chambres  de  commerce  r(5pondrait  k  un  voeu  general  en  de- 
mandant r(^'16vation  i\  500  grammes  de  cette  limite.  Cette  augmentation  de  poids  pourrait 
t'tre  accordee  d'autant  plus  facilcmcnt  que  dans  certains  pays  les  colis  ne  depa.'^sant  jias  Ic 
poids  de  5(H)  grammes  sont  d(''ji\  actuellemcnt  exoner(^>s  des  droits  de  douane.  II  en  est  ainsi 
dans  mon  i)ays,  la  Suisse,  entr'autres.  Je  vous  propose  par  consequent  d'adopter  les  con- 
clusions suivantes: 

5.  La  disposition  de  Tarticle  55  de  la  Convention  postale  univenselle  I,  disant  que  les 
6chantillons  de  marchandises  ne  doivent  pas  avoir  ile  valeur  marchande,  sera  rapportde.  La 
limite  de  poids  des  echantillons  sera  elevee  a  500  grammes. 

Nous  arrivons  il  la  question  des  colis  postaux.  La  Convention  postale  universcUe  IV 
fixe  ii  5  kilogrammes  la  limite  de  poids  des  colis  postaux.  Le  commerce  international  demande 
dans  ce  domaine  de  nouvelles  facilit(?s,  d<^'ji!l  crudes  dans  les  relations  postalcs  entre  certains 
pays.  II  conviendrait  de  fixer  h  10  kilogrammes  —  c'est  la  limite  actuelle  appliqu6e  par  les 
pays  dont  jc  jjarle  —  la  limite  de  poids,  tout  en  admettant  pour  les  pays  dont  la  legislation 
int<'Ticure  n'admet  pas  le  trans])ort  de  colis  superieurs  a  un  i)oids  de  5  kilogrammes  le  droit  de 
maintenir  la  limite  de  5  kilogrammes. 

La  limite  du  i)oids  de  10  kilogrammes  6Uini  ainsi  devenue  la  r^gle  g(5n6ralc,  il  convien- 
drait <le  creer  une  categoric  speciale  de  colis  postaux  acccl(?res  d'un  poids  maximum  de  1 
kilogramme,  et  qui,  moyenmmt  une  taxe  sp6cialc,  seraieut  transporters  par  voie  rapide.  On 
donnerait  ainsi  satisfaction  i\  un  vocu  g(?n6ral  du  commerce  tcndant  au  transport  par  la  poste 
aux  lettres  d'6chantillons  allant  jusqu'au  poids  d'un  kilo,  vocu  dont  la  prise  en  consid(5ration 
Best  heurtde  jusqu'^  ce  jour  h  des  objections  d'ordre  douanier.  Ces  objections  ne  seraient 
pas  opposables  ii  innovation  projct^e  des  colis  i)ostaux  de  1  kilo,  qvii  resteraient  soumis, 
cux,  au  controle  douanier. 

Je  vous  i)ro|)ose  j)ar  cons(?quent  d'adojjter  le  vau  suivant: 

7.  La  convention  universellc  6tabLira  une  categoric  speciale  de  colis  postaux  d'un  poids 
maximum  de  1  kilogramme  et  qui,  moyennant  une  taxe  sp6ciale,  seront  transport's  par  voie 


i 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  249 

Nous  arrivons  h  la  question  du  retard  des  colis  postaux.  Messieurs,  alors  que  la  con- 
vention universelle  concemant  I'^change  des  colis  postaux  assure  ces  colis  dans  une  mesure 
precise,  detcrmin(?e,  contre  la  pertc,  centre  la  spoliation  et  contre  I'avarie,  cette  nienie  con- 
vention ne  contient  aucune  disposition  engageant  la  re«ponsabilit6  des  administrations  en 
cas  de  retard  do  livraison  des  colis  postaux.  Le  retard  n'engage  la  rcsi)onsubilit(5  du  trans- 
porteur  que  jiour  autant  que  le  colis  est  considi''r6  comine  perdu,  c'est-i\-dire  au  terme  d'une 
anuoe  seulenient  aprds  la  reclamation  pour  cause  de  retard. 

Messieurs,  le  commerce  international  souffre  de  cette  lacune.  On  r6aliserait  done  un 
grand  progrSs  en  admettant  un  terme  raisonnable  au  delii  duquel  la  responsabilit6  des  ad- 
ministrations serait  engag(?e.  Le  d«51ai  pourrait  Hre  different  selon  la  distance,  et  particu- 
lierement  si  le  pays  de  destination  est  un  pays  d'outremer.  A  la  rigueur,  on  pourrait,  comme 
il  est  indiqu(5  dans  le  rapport,  pr(51ever  une  modeste  surtaxe  qui  serait  perdue  de  I'e.xp^diteur 
qui  a  un  interet  special  i\  ce  que  la  marchandise  arrive  en  temps  v^oulu.  Mais,  messieurs,  il 
parait  absolument  anormal  et  inadmissible  qu'un  dommago,  qui  peut  etre  tres  consid6rable 
pour  I'expoditeur  ou  le  destinataire  d'un  colis  postal,  dommage  r(^'sultant  d'un  retard  consi- 
derable dans  la  livraison,  n'engage  en  aucune  manicure  la  responsabilit^  des  administrations 
postales. 

Nous  vous  proposons  par  consequent  d'adopter  le  voeu  suivant: 

8.  La  convention  postale  universelle  imposera  aux  Etats  de  I'Union  un  d(51ai  de  livraison 
raisonnable  des  colis  postaux,  different  selon  les  pays  de  destination,  et  au  delil  duquel  la  res- 
ponsabilite  des  administrations  postales  sera  engag^e. 

Messieurs,  apr^s  la  publication  de  ce  rapport,  il  y  a  quelque  temps  d6]h,  il  m'a  6t6  de- 
mands de  completer  ces  vceux  par  quatres  autres  dcmandes,  que  je  vais  vous  indiquer  et 
motiver  brievement. 

Les  vceux  qui  m'ont  et6  transmis  emanent  de  I'Union  des  Chambres  de  commerce  alle- 
mandes,  et  en  partie  de  la  Chambre  de  commerce  de  Francfort.  Je  tiens  k  ajouter  que  les 
demandes  qui  ont  6te  formylees  de  ces  c6t6s,  je  les  considere,  en  ce  qui  me  conceme,  comme 
entidrement  acceptables,  et  je  desire  vivement  que  le  congres  veuille  bien  y  donner  son  assen- 
timent. 

II  s'agit  d'abord  de  I'affranchissement  des  papiers  d'affaires.  Comme  vous  le  savez,  la 
convention  universelle  prevoit  un  affranchissement  de  5  centimes  par  50  grammes  pour  les 
papiers  d'affaires,  mais  en  fixant  un  minimum  de  taxe  de  25  centimes correspondant  il  un  poids 
de  250  grammes.  Or,  messieurs,  le  commerce  estime  qu'il  n'a  pas  h  payer  ce  minimum  alors 
qu'il  fait  transporter  des  papiers  d'affaires  d'un  poids  de  beaucoup  infcrieur,  et  il  demande  la 
suppression  de  cette  limitation  de  poids  de  250  grammes  et  du  minimum  de  taxe  de  25  cen- 
times.   11  formule  la  propo.sition  suivante: 

"  L'affranchissement  des  papiers  d'affaires  sera  fix<5e,  comme  pour  les  imprimis,  h.  5  cen- 
times pour  chaque  poids  ou  fraction  de  poids  de  50  grammes  —  sans  affranchissement  minimum 
de  25  centimes. 

Je  passe  k  la  deuxi^me  demande  qui  m'a  6t6  adress^e: 

"  L'acceptation  d'envois  grev^  de  remboursement  sera  obligatoire  pour  tous  les  pays  de 
I'Union  postale." 

Messieurs,  vous  savez  qu'en  I'dtat  actucl  des  cho.ses  la  convention  tntemationale  permet 
aux  fitats  eignataires  de  la  convention  d'accepter  ou  de  refuser  les  envois  grev(5s  de  rem- 
boursement, et  (?galement  de  fixer  la  limite  de  la  valeur  des  remboursements.  Nous  de- 
mandons  que  dans  tous  les  cas,  I'acception  d'envois  grcvds  de  remboursement  soit  obligatoire 
jiour  tous  les  fitats  de  I'Union. 

L'avant-demi^re  proposition  est  la  suivante: 

"  La  poste  est  responsable  pour  les  envois  grevfis  de  remboursement  dont  elle  s'est  dessaisie 
sans  perception  du  montant  du  remboursement." 


250  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

MesfiicurM,  bcaucoup  d'cntrc  vous  ignorcnt  absolument  que  dans  le  trafic  international, 
lorequ'unc  julniinbitration  a  accepts  un  envoi  grev<!;  d'un  rembourscment  et  qu'elle  a  livr^ 
cct  envoi  sans  w?  fuirc  payer,  pour  tout  ou  partie  de  la  valour  du  rembourscment,  elle  n'est 
pa«  rcsix)n.'«ible  vis-i\-vLs  dc  I'expfkiiteur.  Cost  Ui  une  situation  absolument  anormale,  con- 
traire  aux  prinri|)es  (f-k-mentaires  du  droit,  et  nous  demandon.s  que  les  administrations  qui 
ont  accept*!'  un  envoi  nrcv6  d'un  rcmboursement  eoient  responsables  jusqu'^  concurrence  du 
moDtant  de  ce  rembourscment. 

Enfin,  daas  la  demidrc  question,  il  s'agit  des  colis  postaux  avec  valeur  ddclar^e.  Nous 
demnndon.s  cjue  toute.s  les  administrations  signataires  de  la  convention  concemant  les  colis 
{Mxitaux  Boient  tenues  d'accepter  les  colis  avec  valeur  d6clar6e. 

Je  crois  que  cette  proposition  n'a  pas  bcsoin  d'fitre  motiv^e  autrement;  il  est  Evident  que 
le  conjmerce  international  a  un  grand  int<^'rCt  h  ce  que  cette  proposition  soil  accept^'e.  Les 
administrations  signat aires  de  la  convention  concemant  les  colis  postaux  seront  tenus  d'ac- 
cepter les  colls  avec  valeur  d6clar<5e. 

Messieurs,  j'ai  terming. 

(Trantlatiou) 

I  will  now  take  up  question  2.  As  you  know,  Mr.  President  and  gentlemen,  several 
of  the  signatorj'  States  of  the  Universal  Postal  Convention  of  1906  have  by  virtue  of 
clau.se  HI  of  the  final  protocol  of  this  convention  preser\-ed  the  weight  limits  and  the 
tariffs  of  the  preceding  Postal  Convention  at  Washington.  It  is  desirable  that  these 
States  give  up  this  privilege  and  it  is  on  this  account  that  we  have  drawn  up  the  second 
motion  which  is  as  follows: 

2.  The  States  subscribing  to  the  Universal  Postal  Convention  of  1906  which,  by 
virtue  of  item  111  of  the  final  protocol  of  this  agreement  have  retained  the  limits  of  weight 
and  the  rates  of  the  preceding  postal  agreement  shall  renounce  this  exceptional  practice. 

We  will  now  pass  to  No.  3.  The  question  is  here  of  the  additional  charge  in  the 
case  of  lack  of  postage,  or  in.suflicient  prepayment  of  postage.  Article  5  of  the  main 
universal  convention  fixes  the  extra  charge  to  be  paid  by  the  addressee  of  letters  and 
postal  cards  upon  which  postage  has  not  been  prepaid  at  double  the  tariff  rate.  In 
case  of  insufficient  postage  the  extra  charge  is  fixed  at  double  the  deficiency. 

The  high  rate  of  this  extra  charge  gives  it  actually  the  character  of  a  fine  which  is 
moreover  the  less  justifiable  since  it  falls  upon  the  adressee  of  the  letter,  who  is  not  to 
blame  if  there  is  any  blame.  We  know,  moreover,  that  the  extra  work  occasioned  to  the 
Post-office  Department  by  postal  matter  of  this  description  would  be  well  compensated 
by  a  far  lower  charge,  and  for  this  reason  we  have  formulated  under  item  III  the  follow- 
ing motion: 

li.  In  international  postage,  the  additional  charge  collected  by  the  postal  ser\'ice  for 
the  absence  or  insufficiency  of  postage  on  articles  of  letter  mail,  shall  be  fixed  uniformly 
at  5  centimes. 

This  brings  us  to  No.  4.    The  delivery  to  the  addressee  of  letters  of  foreign  origin. 

Gentlemen,  this  proposal  may  astonish  some  of  you.  It  appears  natural  that  a  letter 
delivered  to  a  State  of  the  Postal  I'nion  by  another  State  of  the  Postal  Union  should  be 
delivered  by  the  former  to  the  addressee.  However,  a  case  has  been  cited  to  me  —  and 
I  have  had  in  my  hands  the  proof  of  the  correctness  of  the  information  —  where  a 
Postal  I)ej)artinent  of  one  of  the  Euroi)can  countries  which  received  from  another  de- 
l)artiiient,  for  instance,  Austraha,  a  letter  intended  for  a  resident  of  this  European 
country  which  I  will  not  name,  has  returned  this  letter  to  Australia,  and  has  not 
delivered  it  to  the  addressee,  becau.se  the  address  of  the  letter  happened  to  be  under  a 
transparent  window  so  that  the  conditions  did  not  exactly  conform  to  the  national  regu- 
lations of  the  countrj'  of  destination. 

Gentlemen,  other  analogous  cases  of  domestic  regulations  might  occur,  and  it  is  for 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  251 

that  reason  that  we  consider  it  absolutely  necessary  to  cite  this  rule,  viz.,  that  a  letter 
from  one  of  the  States  of  the  Postal  Union  forwarded  to  another  State  of  the  Union  must 
be  delivered  to  the  addressee,  regardless  of  the  exterior  appearance  of  this  letter.  It 
is  of  course  understood  that  the  exterior  apjiearancc  of  the  letter  must  not  be  contrary 
to  Rood  morals  or  public  order;  but  with  these  exceptions  every  letter  delivered  to  one 
State  of  the  Postal  I'nion  by  another  State  of  the  Postal  Union  must  be  delivered  to  the 
addressee.     It  is  for  this  reason  that  we  have  proposed  the  following: 

4.  The  postal  administrations  of  the  States  belonging  to  the  Universal  l^nion  shall 
deliver  to  the  addressees  all  sealed  letters  which  come  to  them  from  abroad,  even  when  the 
exterior  of  these  letters  does  not  conform  to  the  postal  regulations  of  the  country  of 
destination. 

We  will  now  come  to  the  subject  of  merchandise  samples.  The  Universal  Postal 
Convention  No.  I  provides  that  samples  of  merchandi.se  may  not  exceed  the  weight  of  350 
grams  and  must  not  have  a  merchantable  value.  Gentlemen,  in  permitting  a  reduced 
rate  for  the  transportation  of  samples  of  merchandise  the  intention  was  to  favor  this 
traffic;  but  the  special  condition  with  which  this  reduction  of  tariff  was  linked  has  ren- 
dered its  benefits  illusorj*  in  many  cases.  It  is  clear  that  the  majority  of  samples  must 
have  a  merchantable  value,  even  though  small,  and  the  term  "merchantable  value"  is  so 
elastic  that  it  has,  necessarily,  given  rise  to  very  varying  interpretations  in  the  different 
States  of  the  Union,  resulting  in  difficulties  and  complications  which  we  desire  to  abolish. 

In  our  judgment,  it  is  not  the  absence  of  value,  but  the  limitation  of  weight,  which 
should  establish  the  distinction  between  this  class  of  package  and  the  shipments  which 
are  subject  to  customs  duties  and  formalities. 

In  most  countries  the  business  world  considers  the  present  weight  limit  of  350  grams 
to  be  insufficient  and  the  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  will  respond  to  a  general 
wish  in  demanding  the  raising  of  this  limit  to  500  grams.  This  increase  of  weight  might 
be  permitted  the  more  easily  since  in  some  countries  packages  not  exceeding  500  grams 
in  weight  are  already  exempt  from  customs  duties.  It  is  thus  in  my  own  country, 
Switzerland,  for  instance.     I  therefore  ask  you  to  adopt  the  following  resolution: 

5.  The  provision  of  article  55  of  the  Universal  Postal  Convention  I,  reading  that 
samples  of  merchandise  must  have  no  merchantable  value,  shall  be  repealed.  The  limit 
of  weight  for  samples  shall  be  raised  to  500  grams. 

This  brings  us  to  the  question  of  postal  parcels.  Universal  Postal  Convention  IV 
fixes  the  limit  of  weight  for  postal  parcels  at  5  kilograms.  International  business  asks 
in  this  respect  increased  facilities,  already  provided  by  the  postal  arrangements  between 
certain  countries.  It  would  be  satisfactory  to  fix  this  limit  of  weight  at  10  kilograms 
—  this  is  the  limit  at  present  allowed  by  the  countries  to  which  I  refer  —  while  per- 
mitting countries  whose  interior  regulations  do  not  permit  the  transportation  of  packages 
exceeding  5  kilograms  to  retain  the  limit  of  5  kilograms. 

The  limit  of  weight  of  10  kilograms  having  become  the  general  rule,  it  would  be  de- 
sirable to  create  a  special  classification  of  express  postal  parcels,  with  a  maximum 
weight  of  1  kilogram,  which,  in  consideration  of  a  special  rate,  should  be  carried  by  a 
quicker  way.  This  would  satisfy  a  general  desire  of  the  business  world  for  the  carriage 
by  letter  post  of  samples  up  to  the  weight  of  1  kilogram,  a  desire  the  consideration 
of  which  has  up  to  now  been  hindered  by  objections  arising  out  of  the  customs  arrange- 
ments. These  objections  would  not  lie  against  the  proposed  innovation  of  postal 
packages  of  1  kilogram  which  would  themselves  remain  subject  to  the  customs 
regulations. 

1  therefore  suggest  the  adoption  of  the  following  motion: 

7.  The  I'niversal  Convention  shall  establish  a  special  categorj*  of  postal  parcels  of 
a  maximum  weight  of  1  kilogram  which,  in  consideratioD  of  a  special  rate,  shall  be  shipped 
by  a  more  rapid  route. 


252  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Wo  now  come  to  the  question  of  delay  in  delivery  of  postal  parcels,  ^^'hile  the  Uni- 
versal Convention  reRanlinR  the  interrhanpe  of  postal  parcels  insures  these  parcels  to 
a  definite,  fixe<i  extent,  against  loss,  theft  and  damane,  tliLs  same  convention  contains 
no  provi-sion,  pledRinR  the  responsibility  of  the  postal  departments  in  case  of  delay  in 
the  deliverj-  of  i)ostal  parcels.  A  delay  only  renders  the  carrier  liable  when  the  jxickage 
is  con.>*idere<l  im  lost,  that  is,  after  the  period  of  one  year  from  the  filing  of  the  claim  for 
delay. 

Gentlemen,  international  commerce  suffers  from  this  omission.  .\  great  advance 
would  be  accomplished  by  providing  a  rea.<!onable  tenn  beyond  which  the  postal  ad- 
ministration would  become  responsible.  The  term  might  be  varied  according  to  the 
distance,  particularly  if  the  country'  of  destination  is  across  the  sea.  If  necessarj',  as 
ix)int«tl  out  in  the  refwrt,  a  reasonable  extra  charge  might  be  levied  on  the  .sender  who 
ii*  particularly  interesttHi  to  have  his  goods  arrive  at  the  desired  time.  But,  gentlemen, 
it  seems  entirely  abnonnal  and  inadnii.ssiblc  that  a  los.s,  which  might  be  quite  con.'^ider- 
able  to  the  sender  or  consignee  of  a  postal  parcel,  a  loss  resulting  from  a  considerable 
delay  in  <leliver>',  sliould  not  in  unj-  way  involve  the  responsibility  of  the  postal  de- 
partments. 

We  therefore  propo.se  for  adoption  the  following  resolution: 

N.  The  Universal  Postal  Convention  shall  impose  on  the  States  of  the  Union  a  rea- 
Bon.able  iM'riod  for  the  dcliverj'  of  postal  parcels,  varying  according  to  the  country  of  des- 
tination, beyond  which  the  postal  administration  shall  be  responsible. 

Aft«r  the  publication  of  this  report,  which  is  now  some  time  since,  I  have  been 
a.sked  to  complete  these  resolutions  by  the  addition  of  four  other  demands,  which  I 
shall  briefly  state  and  explain. 

The  resolutions  which  were  sent  to  me  emanate  from  the  German  I'nion  of 
Chambers  of  Commerce,  and  in  part  from  the  Frankfort  Chamber  of  Commerce.  I 
wish  to  add  that  the  requests  formulated  by  these  bodies  appear  to  me,  as  far  as  I  am 
concerned,  to  be  entirely  acceptable,  and  I  desire  sincerely  that  the  Congress  may  see 
fit  to  lend  its  approval. 

These  refer  first  to  the  mailing  of  business  papers.  As  you  know,  the  Universal 
Convention  provides  a  carriage  of  5  centimes  for  50  grams  for  business  papers,  but  fixes 
a  minimum  charge  of  25  centimes,  corre.'^ponding  to  a  weight  of  250  grams.  Now, 
gentlemen,  business  men  con.sider  that  they  should  not  have  to  pay  this  minimum  rate 
when  sending  business  papers  of  a  much  lower  weight,  and  desire  the  abolition  of  this 
limitation  of  weight  of  250  grams  and  of  the  niinunum  charge  of  25  centimes.  They 
word  the  proposal  a.s  follows: 

"The  rate  for  business  papers  should  be  fixed,  as  for  printed  matter,  at  5  centimes 
for  each  50  grams  or  fraction  thereof  (without  the  minimum  tax  of  25  centimes)." 

I  will  now  jirocccd  to  the  second  demand  which  was  sent  to  me: 

"  Packages  for  collection  on  dehvery  shall  be  accepted  in  all  the  countries  of  the 
Postal  Union." 

Gentlemen,  under  the  present  conditions,  the  International  Convention  permits  the 
signatory  States  to  accept  or  refuse  packages  for  collection  on  dcliverj-,  and  likewise 
to  set  a  limit  of  value  for  such  collections.  We  ask  that  in  all  ca.'ses  the  acceptance  of 
packages  for  collection  on  delivery  shall  be  obligator^'  for  all  the  States  of  the  Union. 

The  hist  proposal  but  one  is  the  following: 

"The  Postal  Department  is  responsible  for  parcels  sent  for  collection  on  delivery-  and 
which  it  has  delivered  without  collection  of  the  amount  of  the  charge." 

Gentlemen,  many  of  you  are  not  aware  that  in  international  traffic  where  a  depart- 
ment has  accepted  a  j)arcel  for  collection  on  deUverj-  and  has  dehvercd  this  package 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMMERCE  253 

without  obtaining  pajincnt  of  the  whole  or  part  of  the  value  of  the  charge,  it  is  not 
responsible  to  the  sender.  This  is  an  entirely  abnormal  situation,  contrary  to  elemen- 
tary principles  of  law,  and  wo  demand  that  departments  which  have  accepted  a  parcel 
charged  for  collection  shall  be  responsible  until  the  return  of  the  amount  of  the 
collection. 

Finally,  the  last  question  refers  to  postal  packages  with  a  declared  value.  We  re- 
quest that  all  the  administrations  who  signed  the  convention  be  held  to  accept  such 
packages  with  a  declared  value. 

I  believe  that  this  proposal  docs  not  need  any  further  justification:  It  is  evident 
that  international  commerce  would  be  greatly  interested  to  have  this  suggestion 
adopted.  The  administrations  which  signed  the  convention  relative  to  postal  parcels 
should  be  held  to  accept  these  packages  with  a  declared  value. 

Tliat  is  all,  gentlemen. 

M.  le  President:  M.  Brett  n'est  pas  ici?    Nous  avions  remis  la  question  lY  aujourd'hui 
afin  du  lui  donner  I'occasion  de  parler  sur  le  .sujet.    11  n'est  pas  ici,  nous  aliens  passer. 
Nous  avons  une  courte  lettre  i\  lire  d'un  dcl^'gu6  de  la  Havane: 

{Translation) 

Mr.  Brett  is  not  here?     We  had   postponed   the  subject   to  to-day  in   order  to 
afford  him  an  opportunity  to  be  heard.    As  he  is  not  here,  we  will  proceed. 
We  have  a  short  letter  to  read  from  a  delegate  from  Havana: 

Monsieur  C.vnon-Legrand, 

President  of  the  Congress. 
Dear  Sir:  In  behalf  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Havana,  Island  of  Cuba,  we  offer 
our  hearty  supjwrt  to  the  reform  propositions  of  Dr.  Georg  in  his  able  paper,  and  we  wish 
<>sj)ecially  to  empha.«ize  the  recommendation  of  this  Congress  to  the  Postal  Congress  to  be  held 
in  Madrid  in  1913  for  the  "Extension  of  domestic  rates  of  postage  on  first-cla.ss  matter  to  in- 
ternational correspondence  within  the  Postal  Union,"  such  extension  to  begin  if  po.s.siblc  by 
the  tirst  of  January,  1915. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

J.  M.  Andreini, 
Carlos  Arnoldson, 
Delegates  Chamber  of  Commerce 
Havana,  Cuba. 

M.  le  President:  M.  Manes  est  in.scrit,  je  lui  donne  la  parole.  Je  prie  les  orateurs 
d'etre  aussi  courts  que  possible  et  de  bomer  leur  temps  de  parole  i\  cinq  minutes.  {ApiAau- 
dissemenls.) 

(Translation) 

Mr.  Manes  is  registered  and  I  give  him  the  floor.  I  would  ask  the  speakers  to 
be  as  brief  as  possible  and  to  limit  their  speeches  to  five  minutes.     (Applause.) 


Herr  Hugo  Manes,  Association  of  Export  Hoiises,  Frankfort-on-the-Main 

Meine  Herren!  Die  Postfrage,  welche  wir  heute  zu  behandeln  haben,  ist  meiner  Ansicht 
nach  eine  der  wichtigsten,  die  den  intemationalen  Handelskammer-Kongrefi  beschiiftigt.  Es 
ist  heutzutage  notig,  daC  man  sich  einen  Techniker  anschafft,  um  zu  studicren,  wa.s  die  ein- 
zelnon  Porto-Satze  in  den  vcrschiedenen  Staaten  sind.  Der  Zustand,  der  augenblicklich 
herrscht,  bcsteht  seit  37  Jahren.  Es  hat  sich  in  dieser  Zeit  sehr  viel  veriindert,  so  daU  ich  dem, 
was  Dr.  Georg  gesagt  hat,  vollstiindig  beistimmen  kann,  um  zu  bitten,  daC  der  Internationale 
KongreB  beschlieCe,  daC  unter  alien  Umstiindcn  das  Weltporto  cinheitlich  wird.  Ich  kann 
unter  keinon  I'mstiinden,  da  uns  nur  fiinf  Minuten  Redozoit  aufgelegt  sind,  Boi.'-piele  anfiih- 
ren,  die  die  Unannehmlichkeit  der  Verschiedenheit  des  Portos  zum  Ausdruck  bringen. 


254  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Ich  kouime  nun  zu  vcrschicdenen  Antriigcn,  die  spcziell  in  dcm  Paragraph  5  enthalten 
Bind.  Da  vermissc  ich,  dafi  dor  Hcrr  licrichtcrstatter  etwas  eingefiigt  hat,  was  eigentlich 
untcr  alien  Tmstiindcn  gcbracht  werden  niiiCtc,  und  ich  mochte  Herrn  Georg  bitten,  viel- 
leirht  liinzuzuftigen,  daC  bei  Artikel  5  der  Internationale  KongreC  wiinscht,  daC  beziiglich 
der  \'ers<»ndung  von  Klisclii'fs,  dioselbcn  unter  alien  Umstiinden,  da  .«ie  keinen  HandeLswert 
be,sitzen,  als  Muster  ohne  Wert  behandelt  werden.  Es  ist  uns  bis  heute  in  Deut.«ciiland  nicht 
golungen,  die  dout-sche  Reichspost  dazu  zu  bringcn,  daB  diese  Klischees  als  Muster  ohne  Wert 
vers«-nil<'t  werden.  W'ir  haben  dudurch  die  groCten  iSchwierigkeiten  mil  unseren  ausliindi- 
schcn  Kunden,  well,  abgesehen  vom  Porto,  die  Kundcn  gezn-ungen  sind,  auf  die  ZoUiimter 
zu  gehcn  und  die  Sendung  zu  vcrzollcn. 

(Translation) 

Gentlemen,  the  ((uestion  of  postage  which  we  are  treating  to-day  is  in  my  opinion 
one  of  the  most  important  which  engages  the  attention  of  the  International  Congress 
of  Chambers  of  Commerce.  It  is  neccssarj*  at  the  present  time  to  employ  an  expert  to 
study  out  the  postal  regulations  of  the  various  States.  This  .situation  ha-s  existed  for  37 
years.  There  have  been  many  changes  in  this  time  so  that  I  can  fully  :igree  in  Dr. 
Gcorg's  proposal  to  ask  the  International  Congress  to  resolve  that  the  international 
postage  should  be  uniform  in  every  way.  As  only  five  minutes'  time  is  allowed  it  is 
impo.>?sible  for  me  to  quote  examples  showing  the  inconveniences  resulting  from  the 
variation  in  postal  tariffs. 

This  brings  us  to  the  various  motions  contained  in  paragraph  5.  It  seems  to  me 
that  the  esteemed  Reporter  has  omitted  an  addition  which  is  quite  essential,  and  I 
should  like  to  a-sk  Mr.  Georg  if  he  will  not  add  to  Article  5  that,  in  relation  to  the 
mailing  of  elect rotj^ies,  these  should  be  accepted  in  all  cases  for  mailing  as  "samples 
without  value"  since  they  possess  no  merchantable  value.  We  have  not  as  yet  suc- 
ceeded in  Germany  in  persuading  the  Imperial  post-office  to  accept  these  cuts  as 
"samples  without  value."  This  occasions  considerable  difficult}'  with  our  foreign  cus- 
tomers, since,  even  regardless  of  the  rate,  the  customers  are  obliged  to  go  to  the 
custom-hou.se  and  to  pay  duties. 

M.  Georg:  Je  desire  dire  que  je  suis  absolument  d'accord  avec  I'honorable  pr^opinant 
que  ses  cliches  devraient  6tre  acceptos  comme  cchantillons  sans  valcur,  mais  j  'estime  que 
nous  ne  pouvons  pas  pr(!'ciser  dans  la  i)roposition,  parce  que  si  nous  le  faisions  sur  ce  point 
special,  d'autres  viendraient  immc^'diatemcnt  avec  d'autres  categories  de  produits  dont  le 
transport  i\  bon  marchd  et  dans  des  conditions  faciles  s'impose  tout  autant  que  celui-1^.  Je 
crois  que  nous  devons  verser  aux  d6bats  les  declarations  de  I'honorable  pr6opinant,  mais  que 
nous  ne  pouvons  pas  I'introduire  dans  la  proposition  que  nous  avons  fonnuI(5e. 

{Tranislation) 

I  wish  to  say  that  I  am  entirely  agreed  with  the  esteemed  speaker,  that  his 
electros  .should  be  accepted  as  "samples  without  value,"  but  I  feel  that  we  cannot 
well  state  this  i^roposition  in  detail,  because  if  we  should  do  so  on  one  special  detail, 
others  would  immediately  propose  other  classes  of  products  whose  cheap  carriage,  under 
convenient  conditions,  would  be  as  important  as  this.  I  believe  that  we  may  admit  in 
our  di.scus.sion  the  statements  of  the  .speaker,  but  that  we  cannot  introduce  it  into 
the  resolution  which  we  have  drawn  up. 

M.  le  President:  Je  pen.se  que  c'est  prdcisement  de  cette  fa^on  que  nous  devons  envi- 
sager  la  discussion.  Nous  ne  sommes  pas  ici  des  spC'cialistes  en  mati^res  postales,  nous  sommes 
des  membres  de  Chambres  de  commerce  ou  d'associations  commerciales  ou  industrielles.  II 
y  aura  une  r6union  de  spdcialLstes  en  matiere  de  poste,  et  il  me  paraft  difficile  que,  nous,  con- 
etitu^s  comme  nous  le  sommes,  nous  discutions  en  ddtail  tons  ces  points  .spociaux.  Je  serais 
absolument  de  I'avis  que  vient  d'^mettrc  M.  Georg  dc  verser  tout  ceci  comme  documents 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  255 

pour  le  congr^s  special  qui  doit  se  tenir  I'an  prochain.  Si  nous  ontrions  dans  la  discussion 
point  par  point,  nous  serions  encore  ici  demain  matin.  N'est-ce  pas  votre  avis,  messieurs? 
(.1  ppla  udissem  enls.) 

(Translation) 

I  think  this  is  exactly  the  course  along  which  wo  should  direct  our  discussion.  We 
are  not  here  as  specialists  in  postal  matters;  we  are  members  of  chambers  of  commerce 
or  commercial  and  industrial  associations.  There  is  to  be  a  meeting  of  specialists  in 
postal  matters,  and  it  seems  difficult  for  us,  made  up  as  we  are,  to  discuss  all  these 
special  points.  I  am  entirely  of  the  opinion  expressed  by  Mr.  Georg  to  forward  all 
these  opinions  as  documents  to  the  special  Congress  which  is  to  be  held  next  year.  If 
we  enter  on  the  discussion  point  by  point,  we  should  still  be  here  to-morrow  morning. 
Is  this  not  your  opinion,  gentlemen?     (Applause.) 

M.  Manes:  Alors,  vous  ne  permettez  pas  que  je  continue? 

(Translation) 

Then,  you  will  not  permit  me  to  continue? 

M.  le  President:  Oui,  oui;  seulement,  nous  n'adopterons  pas  de  resolution  i  cet  effet, 
nous  verserons  ces  remarques  comme  document. 

(Translation) 

Yes,  certainly;  but  we  shall  not  adopt  a  resolution  to  this  effect,  we  will  record 
these  remarks  as  a  document.  , 

Herr  Hugo  Manes:  Meine  Herrenl  Wir  haben  hier  femerhin  den  Paragraphen  6,  das 
Gewicht  der  Postpakete  betreffend.  Das  ist  eine  Sache,  die  meiner  Ansicht  nach  ebenfalls 
durchgefiihrt  werden  mufi,  nur  fehlt  hier  etwas,  was  unseren  Exporteuren  manchmal  sehr 
viel  Schaden  und  I'nannehmlichkeiten  macht,  niimlich,  das  von  einigen  Staaten  eingefiihrte 
ganz  besondere  GroCenmaC.  Es  gibt  verschiedene  Postverwaltungen,  die  unsere  Postsen- 
dungen  refiisieren,  wenn  die  Hohe  oder  Liinge  auch  nur  urn  einige  Zentimeter  differiert,  und 
da  handelt  es  sich  speziell  um  die  Sendungen,  die  bis  zu  5  Kilometer  gehen.  Was  ich  verlange, 
ist,  daB  der  Post-KongreB  darauf  Obacht  gibt,  daB  diese  rigorosen  Bestimmungen  beziiglich 
geringen  Unterschieds  in  den  GroBcnmafien  bei  den  Postsendungen  von  der  Tagesordnung 
verschwinden. 

Dann  handelt  es  sich  hier  noch  um  eine  Frage,  die  ich  zur  Sprache  bringen  mcichte,  das 
ist  die  Schadenersatzpflicht  der  Postvemaltung  fiir  Einschreibesendungen,  die  dem  Empf an- 
ger ohne  Inhalt  iiberliefert  werden.  Im  Artikel  S  des  Weltpostvertragcs  heiBt  es:  ,,Cicht  eine 
Einschreibcsendung  verloren,  so  hat  der  Absender,  oder  auf  dessen  Verlangen  der  Empfiinger 
den  Fall  hoherer  Gewalt  ausgenommen,  .\nspruch  auf  eine  Entschiidigung  von  50  Franken." 
In  meiner  Pra-xis  ist  es  verschiedene  Male  und  in  verschiedenen  Lilndem  vorgckommen,  daB 
kleine  Gegenstande  von  Waren,  die  einen  bestimmten  Wert  haben,  in  registrierten  Briefen 
geschickt  \^•urden  und  behauptet  wurde,  daB  diese  Briefe  ohne  Inhalt  abgeliefert  wurden. 
Es  fragt  sich,  ob  die  Postverwaltung  nicht  dafiir  verantwortlich  ist,  daB  dor  Empfiinger  das 
Recht  hat,  die  voUstiindige  Sendung  zu  crhalten.  Die  dcut.sche  Rcichspostvenvaltung  hat 
auf  meine  Reklamation  geantwortet,  daB  da.s  nicht  ginge,  und  ich  mcichte  daher  don  Boricht- 
erstattor  bitten,  eine  kurzo  Boinorkung  hinzuzufiigen,  daB  die  Schadonorsatzpflicht  dor  Post- 
verwaltung fiir  derartige  Einschroibosondungon  in  voUom  MaBo  exist iort. 

(Translation) 

Gentlemen,  we  now  come  to  paragraph  6  relative  to  the  weight  of  postal  parcels. 
This  is  also  a  matter  which,  in  my  opinion,  ought  to  be  carried  out,  but  one  detail  is 
omitted,  —  a  question  which  has  often  cau.sed  our  exporters  lo.ss  and  annoj'ance, — 
namely,   the  restrictions   of    some   countries   reganiing   dimensions.     There  are   some 


256  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

post-office  dcpftrtments  who  rcfus6  our  packages  should  the  height  or  length  be  only  a 
few  centinictors  out  of  the  way,  and  this  concerns  particularly  the  packages  of  up 
to  5  kihjgratns.  NMiat  1  would  like  would  be  to  have  the  postal  congress  take  into 
consideration  the  rvpen\  of  these  stringent  regulations  regarding  trifling  variations  in 
the  dimensions  of  j^ackiiges. 

Still  another  question  which  I  would  like  to  mention  is  the  liability  of  the  postal 
Ber\'ice  for  registered  packages  which  are  delivered  to  the  addressee  without  their 
contents.  Article  8  of  the  International  Postal  Convention  says:  "In  case  of  the  loss 
of  a  registered  package  the  sender  or,  at  his  request,  the  addressee,  has  right  to  claim 
comiK'nsal  ion  up  to  50  francs,  except  in  the  case  of  force  major."  In  my  experience  it 
has  happcnetl  several  times  and  in  difTerent  countries,  that  small  articles  having  a  definite 
value  were  mailed  as  registered  packages  and  it  was  claimed  that  these  packages  were 
delivered  minus  their  contents.  The  question  is  whether  the  post-office  department 
is  n<it  liable  to  deliver  to  the  addressee  the  entire  parcel.  The  German  Imperial  Postal 
Department  rcj)lied  to  my  claim  that  this  was  not  the  case,  and  I  should  therefore 
like  to  a-sk  our  Reporter  if  he  will  not  add  a  short  note  to  the  effect  that  the  liability 
of  the  post-office  for  such  registered  packages  should  cover  the  entire  parcel. 

M.  le  President:  M.  Shoninger  a  la  parole. 

{Translation) 

Mr.  Shoninger  has  the  floor. 


Mr.  Bernard  J.  Shoninger,  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris 

The  iwsition  of  the  .fVmcrican  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris  and  the  experience  of  its 
members  places  it  particularly  well  in  a  position  to  speak  authoritatively  on  this  subject, 
and  the  delegates  for  whom  I  speak  can  only  express  admiration  for  the  wonderful  care  and 
study  that  has  been  given  this  question  by  -Mr.  Georg.  And  while  we  thoroughly  understand 
the  difficulties  —  because  we  of  the  Chamber  have  asked  at  different  times  certain  things 
from  certain  governments  to  facilitate  commercial  intercourse,  and  we  know  that  these  ques- 
tions are  fundamentally  part  of  commercial  intercourse  and  commercial  exchange  —  there- 
fore we  think  that  we  should  not  make  the  attainment  of  our  aims  more  difficult  by  adding 
to  th2  already  large  number  of  proposals  that  are  embodied  in  these  eight  propositions.  We 
therefore  heartily  recommend  to  all  the  members  of  the  Congress  to  endorse  and  adopt  unani- 
mously the  propositions  as  proposed,  without  any  further  modification.     (Applause.) 

The  President:  The  next  speaker  on  my  list  is  Mr.  Kent. 


Mr.  A.  Barton  Kent,  London  Chamber  of  Commerce 

I  will  take  but  half  a  minute,  as  we  are  all,  I  feel  absolutely  sure,  in  accord  with  the  prop- 
ositions presented  by  Dr.  Georg.  But  I  thought  it  might  be  of  interest  to  tell  you  that  I 
was  dining  at  the  annual  banquet  of  the  French  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  London  the  other 
day,  when  a  high  functionary  of  the  postal  telegraph  at  Paris  was  present,  also  Mr.  Samuel, 
the  Postmiister-General  of  England.  Naturally,  one  of  the  subjects  of  discussion  was  the 
reduction  of  the  rate  of  postage  on  letters  between  England  and  France,  and  the  Frenclmien 
hoped  that  we  should  get  this  rate  of  10  centimes  for  20  grams  between  England  and 
France  alone.  I  very  much  regret  to  say  that  the  English  Postmaster-General  pointed  out 
that  even  between  France  and  England  that  would  involve  the  English  government  in  a  loss 
of  about  £300,000  —  I  think  that  is  $1,500,000  —  and  we  could  not  afford  it.  I  was  surprised 
and  shocked  to  hear  it  when  I  believe  that  his  department  makes  a  profit  of  four  millions 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  257 

sterling  a  year.  That  is  only  to  point  out  to  you  that  though  we  must  all  be  agreed  on  these 
questions,  I  am  afraid  there  is  not  much  hope  of  their  being  accepted  by  all  other  nations 
when  poor  little  England  cannot  offord  it.     {Laughter.) 

M.  le  President:  J'ai  encore  deux  orateurs  inscrits,  et  pour  ne  pas  prolongor  !e  dobat,  je 
vous  propose  de  clore  le  nombre  des  orateurs.    (Applaudissements.)    Je  n'en  admettrai  plus. 

(Translation) 

I  have  still  two  speakers  registered,  and  in  order  not  to  prolong  the  debate,  I 
would  suggest  the  closing  of  the  number  of  speakers.  {Applause.)  I  shall  nut  admit  any 
others. 

M.  Eduardo  Agusti,  of  Barcelona. 

M.  Eduardo  Agusti,  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Barcelona,  Spain 

Monsieur  le  President,  messieurs,  je  viens  apportcr  mon  petit  grain  de  sable  h  cc  con- 
gr6s.    Je  suis  venu  ici  plein  de  bonne  volontd  et  si  .  .  . 

{Translation) 

Mr.  President,  Gentlemen,  I  wish  to  add  my  little  grain  of  sand  to  the  Congress.  I 
have  come  here  full  of  good  will  and  if  .  .  . 

M.  le  President:  A  la  question. 

[Translation) 

To  the  question. 

M.  Agusti:  Je  dc^sire  done  <5mettre  trois  vocu.x:  I'un  d'eux  est  peut-etre  compris  dans  la 
premiere  proposition  du  rapport  de  M.  Georg.  Si  la  proposition  No.  1  de  M.  Georg  n'est 
pas  adoptee,  nous  pourrions  peut-etre  du  moins  adopter  celle-ci. 

(Translation) 

I  desire  therefore  to  offer  three  resolutions:  one  of  them  is  perhaps  covered  by 
the  first  proposition  of  Mr.  Georg's  report.  If  resolution  No.  1  of  Mr.  Georg  is  not 
adopted,  we  might  possibly  at  least  adopt  the  one  which  I  ofTer. 

M.  le  President:  Nous  ne  voterons  pas  sur  les  points  s^par^s. 

(Translation) 

We  cannot  vote  on  single  items. 

M.  Agusti:  Premitl-remcnt,  6tendrc  aux  pays  limitrophes  les  taxes  du  pays  propre. 

Secondcment,  que  les  cartes  postales  que  Ton  vend  dans  les  debits  publics  soient  vendues 
avec  le  timbre  dessus,  de  sorte  que  Ton  n'ait  qu'i  6crire  la  carte  postale  et  la  mettre  h  la 
poste. 

Troisi^mement,  que  les  timbres,  dans  tous  les  pays  de  I'union  postale  univcrselle,  soient 
interchangeablea. 

{Translation) 

First,  to  extend  to  neighboring  countries  the  postal  tariff  of  the  country  itself. 
Second,  that  the  postal  cards  sold  by  vendors  generally  may  be  .sold  with  the  stamp 
thereon,  so  that  one  would  only  have  to  write  on  the  card  and  mail  it. 

Third,  that  postage  stamps  should  be  interchangeable  throughout  the  countries  of 
the  Universal  Postal  Union. 


258  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

M.  le  President:  M.  le  Dr.  Almkida  a  la  parole. 

(Translation) 

Dr.  Alueida  ha.s  the  floor. 

Dr.  Candido  de  Mendes  de  Almeida,  Delegate  of  the  Government  of  Brazil 

Messieurs,  je  suis  charg6  par  TUnion  des  conseillers  de  mon  pays  de  les  reprdsenter  pour 
uno  chose  qui  int<?resse  tout*  les  Charabres  de  commerce  du  monde.  Je  sais  que  je  ne  peux 
pa.s  faire  de.s  amendemcnts,  je  ne  veux  faire  que  des  vocux. 

(Translation) 

Gentlemen,  I  am  asked  bj*  the  Union  of  Councillors  of  my  country  to  represent  them 
in  a  matter  which  interests  all  the  chambers  of  commerce  of  the  world.  I  know  that  I 
am  not  allowed  to  make  amendments.    I  onlj'  wish  to  express  some  wishes. 

M.  le  President:  Qui  seront  d<5pos^  comme  documents? 

(Translation) 

Which  will  be  filed  as  documents? 

Dr.  Almeida:  Oui,  c'e.st  cela.  Alors  le  d6sir  est  que  la  franchise  postale  soit  donn6e  k 
toutos  les  publication.s  officielles  des  Chambres  de  commerce,  des  Federations  commerciales, 
des  bulletins,  d(?partements  oflBciels  et  statistiques  commerciales,  de  fa^on  que  ces  publica- 
tions puissent  passer  d'un  pays  k  I'autre  avec  la  franchise  postale  int^grale. 

(Translation) 

Yes,  that's  it.  The  wish  is  then  that  the  postal  franchise  be  given  to  all  official 
publications  of  the  chambers  of  commerce,  of  commercial  federations,  bulletins,  official 
clepartrnont,s  and  commercial  statistics,  so  that  these  publications  may  go  from  one  coim- 
tr>-  to  another  with  complete  postal  franchise. 

M.  le  President:  ^'ous  pouvez  le  demander.    Je  doute  fort  que  vous  I'obteniez. 

(Translation) 

You  may  ask  that.    I  have  strong  doubts  if  j-ou  will  get  it. 

Dr.  Almeida:  C'est  le  vceu.  C'est  Tint^ret  de  tous  les  pays  d'avoir  tous  ces  renseigne- 
mentfl.  Alors  le  vceu  est  seulement  que  ces  communications-li  soient  pr(5sent<5es  ^  la  conven- 
tion postale  ainsi  que  toutes  les  publications  officielles  des  Federations  commerciales,  de 
Chambres  de  commerce  et  des  departements  officiels  des  pays. 

(Translation) 

That  is  the  wish.  It  is  to  the  interest  of  all  countries  to  have  all  such  information. 
The  wish  is  then  only  that  those  should  be  presented  to  the  postal  convention,  as  well 
as  all  official  publications  of  the  commercial  federations,  of  the  chambers  of  commerce 
and  of  the  official  departments  of  nations. 

M.  le  President:  La  discussion  est  done  close.  Vous  avez  entendu  les  difTcrents  ora- 
teurs,  vous  avez  vu  le  depcH  de  leurs  documents;  je  vous  propose  done  de  passer  une  resolu- 
tion dans  ce  sens,  et  que  le  comite  iiermancnt  ait  pour  mission  d'attirer  I'attention  du  Bureau 
International  de  I'l'nion  Postale  sur  les  dep6ts  qui  ont  ete  faits  au  cours  de  cette  seance  et 
de  verser  i\  ce  bureau  les  documents  que  nous  avons  re^us  ^  ce  sujct. 

Je  propose  done  d'avoir  la  resolution  suivante: 

"IjC  comite  permanent  sera  instruit  de  presenter  k  I'attention  de  I'Union  Postale Univer- 
eelle  toutes  les  questions  de  rcforme  postale  qui  ont  ete  consid6rees  dans  ce  congr^s." 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  259 

(Translation) 

The  discussion  is  then  closed.  You  have  heard  the  different  speakers.  You  have 
seen  the  text  of  their  documents  and  I  would  propose  the  passage  of  a  resolution  in 
that  sense,  that  the  Pennanont  Committee  should  have  authority  to  draw  the  atten- 
tion of  the  International  Bureau  of  the  Postal  Union  to  the  propositions  which  have  been 
presented  in  the  course  of  this  sitting,  and  to  turn  over  to  that  bureau  the  documents  we 
have  received  on  the  subject. 

I  propose,  therefore,  the  following  resolution: 

"The  Permanent  Committee  shall  be  instructed  to  bring  to  the  attention  of  the  Uni- 
versal Postal  Union  all  the  questions  of  postal  reform  that  have  been  discussed  at  this 
Congress." 

M.  le  President:  M.  le  rapporteur  Georg  a  la  parole. 

{Translation) 

The  Reporter,  Mr.  Georg,  has  the  floor. 

M.  Georg:  Je  pense  que  vous  6tes  tous  d'accord  que  je  demande  h.  la  pr6sidence  de 
vouloir  bien  faire  mettre  au  vote  les  propositions  qui  sont  consignees  dans  le  rapport  que  je 
vous  ai  present^  tout  i  I'heure. 

(Translation) 

I  believe  you  will  all  agree  that  I  may  request  the  Chair  to  be  so  kind  as  to  take 
a  vote  on  the  propositions  which  appear  in  the  report  that  I  presented  to  you  a  short  time 
ago. 

M.  le  President:  Si  nous  votons  point  par  point? 

(Translation) 

A  vote  on  each  point? 

M.  Georg:  Xon,  il  a  6i6  convenu  au  d6but  que  nous  voterions  sur  I'ensemble  de  ces 
propositions,  et  que  les  observations  formuloes  seraient  vers<5es  au  debat. 

(Translation) 

No,  we  have  agreed  at  the  outset  that  we  vote  on  the  ensemble  of  the  proposi- 
tion, and  that  the  observations  made  would  be  deposited  at  the  desk. 

M.  le  President:  Qui.  Je  demande  done  de  passer  un  vote  sur  I'ensemble  des  proposi- 
tions, 6tant  entendu  que  les  observations  formuloes  apres  seront  vers(5es  au  debat  ii,  titre  de 
documents.  Est-ce  que  la  chose  est  bien  comprise?  Ceux  qui  sont  d'avis  de  voter  la  r(5solu- 
tion  dans  ce  sens,  qu'ils  veulent  bien  lever  la  main.  (Lev^e  de  mains  g^nirale.)  L'6preuve 
contraire.  (Personne  ne  live  la  main.)  II  n'y  a  done  pas  d'opposition;  en  consequence  la 
question  est  ainsi  vid6e. 

(Translation) 

Yes.  I  request  then  a  vote  on  the  ensemble  of  the  propositions,  it  being  understood 
that  the  observations  expressed  afterward  shall  be  deposited  at  the  desk  as  documents. 
Is  the  matter  well  understood?  Those  who  favor  the  resolution  in  this  sense,  please  raise 
their  hands.  (General  raising  of  hands.)  Any  opposition?  (Xo  hands  are  raised.)  Then 
there  is  no  opposition;  as  a  result  the  question  is  thus  settled. 


260  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

THE    DESIRABILITY    OF    INTERNATIONAL    UNIFORMITY    OF 
ACTION    IN    THE    MATTER    OF    CONSULAR    INVOICES 

M.  le  President:  M.  Thomas  Sammons  remplace  le  rapporteur  M.  \V.  J.  Carr. 

{Translation) 

Mr.  TuoMAs  .Sammons  takes  the  place  of  the  Reporter,  Mr.  W.  J.  Carr. 

(Mr.  Thomas  Sammons  is  called  and  has  the  floor.) 

Hon.  Thomas  Sammons,  United  States  Consul  General,  Yokoahma,  Japan 

Gentlemen: 

An  honor  luus  been  .^^uddenly  tliru.><t  upon  me  in  being  selected  to  present  to  this  distin- 
guishetl  nxsenibluRc  the  question  of  unifonnity  in  consular  invoices.  The  ideal  consular 
service  of  the  world  to-day  contemplates  the  maintenance  of  a  capable  body  of  trained 
men  who  are  chiefly  concerned  in  the  promotion  and  extension  of  trade.  Therefore,  and 
because  of  his  extended  knowlodpe  of  the  subject,  I  deeply  regret  that  the  director  of  the 
consular  ,><orvice  of  the  State  Department  of  my  government  is  unable  to  be  present.  While 
Mr.  Carr,  I  am  sure,  could  learn  much  from  you,  gentlemen,  I  am  also  equally  confident  that 
he  could  contrilnite  much  of  interest. 

In  medieval  times  the  con.sular  service  was  concerned  in  the  adjustment  of  trade  troubles, 
and  the  same  condition  of  affairs  practically  continues  to-day.  The  consular  service,  the 
world  over,  and  of  all  nations,  is  verj'  fortunate  in  finding  a  good  friend  in  the  International 
Chambers  of  Commerce  when  it  becomes  necessan,'  or  desirable  to  take  uj)  a  question  of  the 
kind  whifh  Mr.  Carr  has  reported  on. 

\Mule  there  are  mimy  questions  involved  with  reference  to  consular  invoices  and  consular 
fees,  the  chief  step,  the  important  step,  which  may  possibly  be  taken  here  and  now,  is  with 
reference  to  simplification  and  unification  of  consular  invoices.  Having  that  thought  in 
mind,  I  will  summarize  the  report  made  by  Mr.  Carr,  which  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that 
this  subject  Ikis  been  taken  up  at  four  sessions  of  the  International  Conference  of  American 
States,  and  at  the  hist  conference  formal  action  was  taken  approving  uniformity  and  simpU- 
city  in  a  consular  invoice  which  would  save  much  time,  save  much  misunderstanding,  also 
would  cost  less  money  if  it  were  accepted  and  adopted.  And  the  opinion  prevails  that  if 
action  were  taken  by  this  distinguished  body  in  favor  of  uniformity  and  simplicity,  that  then 
the  various  countries  concerned  —  and  in  fact  all  the  exporting  countries  of  the  world  are 
concerned  —  would  gradually  fall  into  line  and  accept  the  form  which  has  been  approved 
after  careful  study  running  over  four  or  five  years. 

That  form  luus  been  i)laced  before  you  in  Mr.  Carr's  report.  It  will  be  unnecessary  for 
me  to  go  into  details.  The  matter  is  entirely  before  you  anil  you  are  ready  to  act  thereon.  I 
would  only  .say  the  question  of  simplicity  and  uniformity,  putting  aside  all  other  questions  with 
reference  to  fees,  with  reference  to  whether  a  consular  invoice  is  a  good  thing  or  not,  is  before 
us  to-day;  and  I  trust  that  we  may  be  able  to  act  in  favor  of  uniformity  and  simplicity. 

I  thank  you. 

M.  le  President:  M.  Manuel  Jacintho  Ferreira  da  Cunha  a  la  parole. 
{Translation) 

Mr.  Manuki.  Jacintho  Fekreiua  da  Cunua  has  the  floor. 

M.  M.  J.  Ferreira  da  Cirnha,  Consul  General  of  Brazil,  New  York,  N.  Y.:  Je  fais  dcsistance 
de  la  parole,  je  ne  peux  j):us  parler. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  261 


(Translation) 

I  will  give  up  the  floor;  I  cannot  speak. 

M.  le  President:  Vous  ne  voulez  pas  parler,  vous  vous  d^sistez? 

{Translation) 

You  do  not  wish  to  speak,  —  you  yield  the  floor? 

M.  M.  J.  Ferreira  da  Cunha:  Oui,  monsieur. 

(Translation) 

Yes,  sir. 


Dr.  Edmimd   Kunosi,  Assist<int  Secretary  in   the  Royal  Hungarian  Ministry  of  Commerce; 
Delegate  of  Royal  Government  of  Hungary 

The  question  of  unifying  consular  invoices  may  be  called  an  essentiallj'  American  ques- 
tion, because  invoices  provided  with  a  consular  vise  are  predominantlj'  requested  in  the  Amer- 
ican Republics. 

The  question  has,  of  course,  too,  an  international  character,  inasmuch  as  it  is  also  of  con- 
siderable interest  to  nations  importing  into  the  American  states  that  the  regulations  referring 
to  the  consular  legalization  of  invoices  by  the  American  states  should  be  stipulated  in  a  manner 
whicli  will  cause  to  trade  as  little  ve.xation  as  possible. 

The  most  ideal  international  regulation  of  consular  invoices  will  be  to  abolish  them  en- 
tirely. {Cries  of  "Hear,  hear!")  We  in  Hungary  abolish  them  almost  entirely  except  in  the 
most  exceptional  ca.ses.    Nevertheless,  this  is  the  ideal. 

First,  I  must  in  the  interest  of  redressing  those  complaints  made  against  consular  invoices 
which  prompted  the  manager  of  the  Honorable  Congress  to  put  this  question  on  the  order  of 
the  day,  readily  second  the  proposition  lying  before  the  Honorable  Congress  according  to 
which  the  Congress  should  express  its  desire  to  fix  uniform  regulations  with  regard  to  invoices 
in  countries  where  invoices  provided  with  consular  authentication  are  requested,  and  that 
authentication  should  be  restrained  to  as  few  invoices  as  possible. 

It  is  very  important  that  while  unifying  consular  invoices  it  should  be  generally  and  uni- 
forml}'  set  down  that  the  consular  authentication  should  be  effected  as  much  as  possible  by 
the  consulate  having  authority  at  the  place  of  origin  and  not  by  the  consulate  of  the  seaport 
from  which  the  goods  are  shipped  to  the  state  of  destination. 

Stress  must  be  laid  on  this  measure,  since  for  the  sake  of  the  compilations  of  international 
statistics,  which  are  mostly  based  on  the  facts  ascertained  by  the  customs  manipulation,  good.'' 
should  be  registered  according  to  their  real  place  of  origin. 

Under  the  present  conditions,  when  consular  invoices  are  for  the  most  part  legalized  at 
the  place  of  shipping,  it  is  impossible  to  form  a  precise  idea  of  the  real  foreign  traffic  of  these 
goods,  as  the  exports  from  countries  which  have  no  seacoast  at  all  or  possess  no  direct  shipping 
cormection  are  registered  much  below  reality. 

This  circumstance  is  ver>'  tlisadvantageous  not  only  to  American  business  men,  who  from 
these  statistics  are  unable  to  get  information  about  the  very  origin  of  the  goods  imported, 
but  also  to  the  conclusion  of  commercial  treaties  for  which  reliable  statistics  form  an  indis- 
pensable basis. 

The  knowledge  of  the  real  foreign  traffic  is  a  very  important  economical  factor.  In  order 
to  find  out  the  real  amount  of  the  foreign  traffic  of  the  .Vmerican  states  it  is  therefore  neces- 
sarj-  that  invoices  should  always  be  authenticated  by  consulates  having  authority  at  the  real 
place  of  origin,  and  not  at  the  port  of  departure,  as  it  has  to  take  place  now  in  many  States. 

The  President:   Mr.  Bexet. 


262  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Mr.  Lawrence  V.  Benet,  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris 

Gentlemen,  the  delegates  of  the  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris,  owing  to  the 
ver>'  hijtuation  and  daily  exi>erience  of  the  members  with  consular  invoices,  are  placed  in  a 
position  favorable  for  thorouRhly  appreciatinR  the  necest^ity  for  uniformity  not  only  in 
con.'<ular  invoices  but  also  in  certificates  of  origin.  While  we  believe  that  means  can  and  even- 
tually will  be  found  to  abolish  the  consular  invoice,  at  the  same  time  safeguarding  govern- 
mental interestii  and  those  of  the  world  of  coiiunercc,  we  arc  well  aware  of  the  present  difficulties 
BO  ably  set  forth  in  the  report  which  has  been  made  before  us.  We  therefore  heartily  approve 
and  second  the  propositions  of  Mr.  Wilbur  J.  Carr,  who  from  his  wide  and  long  experience, 
and  as  director  of  the  United  States  Consular  Service,  has  been  able  to  give  thb  matter  such 
profound  and  enlightening  investigation. 

Gentlemen,  I  thank  you. 

M.  le  President:  M.  Downs  est  appel^  pour  prendre  la  parole. 

(Translation) 

Mr.  Downs  has  the  floor. 

Mr.  William  C.  Downs,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen: 

Mr.  Carr,  in  the  report  that  has  been  placed  before  j-ou  on  the  matter  of  Consular  In- 
voices, has  so  carefully  indicated  and  described  and  so  skilfully  tabulated  the  principal  points 
of  difference  in  the  forms  of  such  invoices  as  at  present  required  by  various  companies  as 
es-scntial  parts  of  the  shipping  documents  covering  goods  which  are  imported  by  them,  that 
it  appears  to  me  I  shall  best  serve  the  purpose  of  the  discussion  by  considering  some  of  the 
consular  requirements  a  little  more  in  detail  from  the  practical  point  of  view  of  the  exporter 
to  the  Latin-American  countries.  The  same  difficulties  and  inconveniences  will  be  encoun- 
tered by  the  European  exporter  as  by  the  American  shipper,  since,  with  the  exception  of  some 
slight  mollifications  due  to  reciprocity  treaties  or  favored  nation  clauses  in  the  Paris  regula- 
tions, the  consular  requirements  of  any  particular  country-  are  the  same,  no  matter  whether 
the  goods  are  exported  from  Europe  or  from  the  United  States.  As  Mr.  Carr  very  justly 
says,  the  question  is  one  affecting  every  exporting  countrj'  on  the  globe.  With  your  permis- 
sion, therefore,  I  will  consider  the  consular  regulations  of  some  of  the  countries  sepjirately, 
beginning  with  the  one  which  presents  the  least  difficulties. 

The  method  of  Uruguay  is  a  model  of  simplicity,  and  is  apparently  entirely  adequate  to 
its  purpose.  Absolutely  no  consular  invoice,  as  such,  is  required;  three  copies  of  the  bill  of 
lading,  however,  must  be  presented  to  the  Uruguayan  consul,  on  two  of  which  he  places  his 
official  seal  and  returns  them  to  the  shipper.  The  third  copy  is  retained  by  the  consul,  and 
must  bear  an  endorsement  in  Si)anish  giving  a  description  of  the  goods,  their  marks  and  num- 
bers, the  number  of  packages,  their  cubic  measurement,  net  and  gross  weights  and  their  value. 
A  fixed  fee  of  only  SI. 00  Uruguayan  gold  is  charged  for  certifying  these  bills  of  lading.  Such 
a  document  presents  no  difficulties  to  the  shipper  and  entails  no  loss  of  time  in  making  it  up. 

Costa  Rica's  system  is  also  quite  simple,  ^^'hile  it  is  true  that  the  consul  in  the  port  of 
shipment  does  not  certify  an  invoice,  the  shipper  is  required  to  make  up  and  forward  to  the 
consignee  with  the  other  shipping  documents  an  invoice  on  a  special  form  for  custom-house 
purposes,  which  is  certified  at  the  port  of  entry-  where  the  corresponding  fee  is  also  paid. 

The  next  most  convenient  system  is  that  of  the  Argentine  Keiiublic.  A  certificate  of 
origin,  in  Spani.sh  or  the  language  of  the  country-  from  which  (he  shipment  is  made,  stating 
the  miu-ks,  number  of  packages,  class  of  goods,  their  weight  or  quantity  and  their  country  of 
origin,  and  signed  by  the  shijjper,  is  attached  to  three  of  the  bills  of  lading  and  certified  by 
the  consul,  the  charge  being  only  S2.00  for  any  shipment  irrespective  of  its  value.  No  state- 
ment of  value  is  required.    Two  of  these  bills  of  lading  eventually  reach  the  consul  through 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  263 

tlie  steamship  company.    This  again  presents  no  difficulties,  but  involves  a  little  more  labor 
than  in  the  case  of  Uruguay. 

Hayti's  method  is  similar,  the  difference  being  that  six  copies  of  a  consular  invoice  de- 
M  ribing  the  goods  in  more  detail  and  also  stating  their  value  must  be  made  up  in  either 
1  ronch  or  English  on  jirescribod  forms  |)urcliascd  of  the  consul,  who  is  also  required  to  see  and 
-tamp  five  signed  copies  of  the  bill  of  hiding,  of  which  lie  returns  four.  This  naturally  involves 
St  ill  more  labor  and  loss  of  time  on  the  part  of  the  shipper.  There  is,  however,  no  charge  for 
the  certification  of  the  documents. 

Next  comes  Brazil,  whose  requirements  are  three  copies  of  a  consular  invoice  on  a  pre- 
siribed  form  in  Portuguese  or  the  language  of  the  country  of  origin,  which  are  certified  by  the 
I  Dusul  for  a  fixed  fee  of  $1.65,  and  which  must  state  the  marks,  number  of  packages,  general 
class  of  the  goods,  their  gross,  net  and  legal  weights,  their  value  and  origin,  and  the  approxi- 
mate freight  and  other  expenses.  One  of  these  copies  is  retained  in  the  archives  of  the  con- 
sulate, one  is  forwarded  by  the  consul  to  the  Federal  Government  in  Rio  dc  Janeiro,  and  the 
third  reaches  the  custom-house  in  the  port  of  entry  through  the  consignee  of  the  goods.  The 
chief  difficulty  of  the  shipper  in  fulfilling  these  requirements  is  that  it  is  often  practically 
impossible  to  obtain  from  the  manufacturer  or  supplier  an  accurate  statement  of  the  three 
classes  of  weights  for  his  goods.  He  may  easily  furnish  the  gross  weight  of  the  shipping  pack- 
a'^es,  the  weight  of  the  goods  in  their  containers  or  wrappers,  but  he  seldom  knows  the  actual 
net  weight  of  his  product  and  is  likely  to  estimate  it  or  to  omit  it  entirely,  being  unaware  of  the 
fact  that  the  custom-house  regulations  of  Brazil  clearly  state  that  "for  any  difference  from 
the  declarations  of  the  consular  invoice,  in  the  contents  of  the  volume  or  volumes,  found  at 
the  time  of  examining  the  goods,  the  owner  or  consignee  shall  be  fined  double  duties  whatever 
be  their  amount,  for  the  difference  found,  be  it  a  difference  in  quality,  weight,  lower  tax  or 
\  aluation,"  and  that  "the  declaration  in  the  invoice  of  the  gross  weight  of  the  merchandise, 
when  the  duties  are  payable  on  the  net  weight,  or  vice-versa,  incurs  the  same  penalty.  To 
take  a  concrete  example  of  the  working  of  this  regulation,  suppose  that  a  shipment  is  being 
made  of  resin,  a  very  common  article  of  export  from  the  United  States  to  Brazil.  It  is  the 
trade  custom  in  the  United  States  that  resin  is  bought  and  sold  gross  weight  for  net;  that  is 
to  say,  from  the  nature  of  the  article,  the  wooden  container  or  barrel  forming  an  almost  integral 
part  of  the  goods,  the  buyer  pays  so  much  per  pound  for  the  gross  weight  of  the  package. 
The  custom-house  regulations  of  Brazil,  however,  concede  an  arbitrary'  tare  on  resin  of  20  per 
cent.  The  average  shipper,  being  unaware  of  this  regulation,  would  in  the  natural  course  of 
events  declare  in  his  consular  invoice  only  one  weight,  the  gross  weight,  the  only  weight  which 
he  knows.  In  consequence  of  such  a  declaration  the  consignee  would  be  obliged  to  pay  20 
per  cent  more  duties  than  he  should,  and  would  moreover  be  fined  an  amount  equal  to  these 
excess  duties.  In  other  words  he  would  pay  40  per  cent  more  duties  than  he  should,  for  which 
he  would  naturally  hold  the  sliipper  responsible. 

The  next  general  class  of  consular  invoices  is  that  in  which  the  certification  fee  is  deter- 
mined by  a  fixed  percentage  of  the  value  of  the  goods,  there  being  in  most  cases  a  minimum 
charge.  In  this  class  the  fee  is  evidently  for  the  purpose  of  raising  revenue  and  forms  a  tax 
on  the  goods,  which  is  eventually  borne  by  the  importer.  To  this  group  belong  Bolivia, 
Colombia,  Cuba,  Ecuador,  Panama  and  Peru.  The  percentage,  however,  is  not  uniform,  and 
there  are  other  differences  in  the  respective  requirements. 

BoUvia  collects  2  per  cent  of  the  value  of  the  goods  alone,  exclusive  of  freight  and  other 
charges,  with  a  minimum  charge  of  $2.00,  and  requires  that  the  manufacturer's  original  invoice 
or  a  copy  of  the  sworn  custom-house  clearance  and  the  bills  of  lading  shall  be  shown  the 
consul  as  evidence  that  the  value  is  correctly  stated. 

Panama  charges  i*,-,  of  1  per  cent  with  minimum  of  $1.00,  and  also  $1.00  for  certifying 
the  bill  of  lading  up  to  the  value  of  SlOO;  for  over  SlOO,  $3.00  is  charged.  Certificates  of 
insurance  must  be  shown  the  consul  as  proof  of  the  value. 

Peru  collects  the  uniform  fee  of  1  per  cent  of  the  value  of  the  goods  alone,  irrespective  of 
the  size  of  the  shipment. 


2G4  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Ecuador's  charRc?  arc  also  on  the  value  of  the  goods  alone  and  amount  to  3  per  cent  with 
a  minimum  of  $1.(H). 

Cuba's  fee  is  only  i^  of  1  per  cent  on  amounts  over  $200;  for  smaller  amounts  there  are 
certain  minimum  fees.    The  bills  of  lading  must  also  be  certified  at  a  charge  of  SI. 00  per  set. 

Colombia  divides  its  con.sular  invoices  into  three  classes:  The  first  covers  articles  ordered 
by  the  government,  or  the  diplomatic  corps,  etiucational  supplies,  seeds,  plants  and  animals, 
no  charge  being  made  for  the  certification  of  the  corresponding  invoices.  The  second  class 
includes  suj)i)lies  for  railroads,  agriculture,  mines,  etc.,  the  fee  being  1  per  cent. 

The  third  class  embraces  all  other  general  merchandise,  on  which  the  charge  is  3  per  cent, 
except  for  articles  of  gold,  silver  and  precious  stones  on  which  6  per  cent  is  collected.  The 
amount  of  the  expenses  must  also  be  stated.  These  charges,  however,  are  not  on  the  value  of 
the  goods  plus  freight,  insurance,  commission  and  all  other  charges.  This  regulation,  as  in 
the  case  of  Nicaragua,  that  the  fee  shall  be  collected  on  the  amount  of  the  shipping  expenses  as 
well  as  on  the  value  of  the  goods  causes  great  inconvenience  to  the  shipper  and  often  renders  it 
imfw.siiible  that  the  shipi)ing  documents  be  forwarded  by  the  steamer  carrying  the  goods.  It 
is  obvious  that  in  order  to  comply  faithfully  with  these  regulations,  and  he  must  comply  faith- 
fully or  render  himself  liable  to  hea\'>'  fines,  the  shipper  cannot  make  up  his  consular  invoice 
until  he  is  in  possession  of  all  the  details.  He  cannot  know  the  exact  amount  of  the  freight 
until  he  actually  receives  the  bills  of  lading  from  the  steamship  company  and  often  goods  are 
placed  on  board  up  to  a  few  hours  before  the  sailing  of  the  steamer.  He  cannot  calculate  the 
amount  of  the  insurance  which  he  must  cover  until  he  knows  the  freight  and  has  approxima- 
ted the  other  expenses,  as  prepaid  freight  and  other  advance  charges  must  be  insurtd  as  well 
as  the  goods  themselves.  Then  he  must  determine  the  amount  of  his  commission,  if  he  is  a 
commi.ssion  merchant,  which  is  naturally  figured  on  all  disbursements.  All  this  takes  time 
and  labor  and  leaves  no  time  for  the  preparation  of  an  accurate  consular  invoice  and  obtain- 
ing its  certification  bj-  the  consul  before  the  steamer  leaves,  if  the  bills  of  lading  are  received 
only  at  the  la.'^t  moment.  No  rush  orders  can  be  executed.  The  shipper  from  New  York 
overcomes  this  difficulty  in  some  instances  by  forwarding  his  shipping  documents  after  the 
steamer  has  sailed  via  Mobile  or  New  Orleans,  trusting  to  luck  that  by  thus  employing  a  part 
rail  and  part  water  route  his  papers  may  reach  their  destination  before  the  arrival  of  the  stea- 
mer carrj'ing  the  goods.  This  method,  however,  is  uncertain  and  is  not  available  to  European 
shippers  or  shippers  from  Mobile  or  New  Orleans  themselves.  If  the  consignee  does  not  receive 
his  papers  in  time  he  cannot  take  his  goods  out  of  the  custom-house  on  their  arrival  and  may 
have  to  pay  heavy  storage  charges  and  may  possibly  incur  a  fine. 

The  next  and  last  classification  which  I  make  of  consular  invoices  has  the  distinguishing 
feature  that  the  fee  is  not  a  fixed  sum  or  a  definite  percentage  of  the  value,  but  is  an  arbi- 
trary amount  which  varies  according  to  the  value  of  the  shipment  but  in  no  proportionate 
ratio.  This  group  is  a  large  one  and  embraces  the  following  countries:  Chile,  Guatemala, 
Honduras,  Mexico,  Nicaragua,  Salvador,  Santo  Domingo  and  Venezuela.  There  are  also 
various  differences  in  the  requirements  of  the  countries  composing  this  class,  some  taking  only 
the  value  of  the  goods  into  consideration,  others  collecting  the  fee  on  the  freight  and  other 
charges  as  well;  some  requiring  i^cparate  invoices  for  each  shipping  mark,  others  pennitting 
several  shipping  marks  to  appear  on  the  same  invoice.  The  objection  to  calculating  the 
fee  on  the  expenses  has  already  been  pointed  out;  the  system  of  charging  arbitrary  sums  for 
specified  amounts  is  unjust  to  the  small  importer  and  gives  an  undue  advantage  to  the  larger 
importer.    Consider  briefly  the  fees  of  the  different  countries  in  this  group. 

Chile  charges  J2.00  on  the  value  of  goods  up  to  ?2oO;  S2..50  up  to  $300;  S3.00  on  the 
value  of  goods  up  to  $450;  $3.50  up  to  $500;  $7.50  up  to  $1250;  $13.50  up  to  $2500;  $26.00 
up  to  $5000.  As  it  is  the  importer  who  eventually  pays  the  fee,  it  is  evident  that  the 
merchant  who  imports  $5000  worth  of  goods  is  taxed  only  i  per  cent,  while  the  man 
who  buys  $300  at  a  time  jiays  83-100  of  1  per  cent,  and  he  who  purchases  $600,  H  per 
cent.  The  larger  the  importer,  the  greater  the  advantage  which  his  ovra  government  gives 
him  over  his  smaller  competitor. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  265 

In  Guatemala  the  discrimination  in  favor  of  the  large  man  is  still  greater.  For  goods 
valued  up  to  $99.99  the  fee  is  S7.00;  up  to  S449.99  it  is  SIO.OO;  up  to  $999.99  it  is  $14.00;  up  to 
$2999.99  it  is  $16.00;  up  to  $5999.99  it  is  $20.00.  For  $6000  and  over  it  is  $20  plus  $2  for  each 
additional  $1000  or  fraction  thereof.  On  this  basis  the  importer  of  $10,000  worth  of  goods 
would  be  taxed  $28  or  a  little  more  than  i  of  1  per  cent,  while  the  $500  importer  would  have 
to  pay  $14  or  nearly  3  per  cent. 

Such  great  differences  also  furnish  a  strong  temptation  to  under-valuation  of  goods,  which, 
although  the  untler-valution  may  be  very  slight,  is  nevertheless  demoralizing.  Suppose  the 
true  value  of  the  goods  is  $502;  if  honestly  declared  the  fee  would  be  $14,  while  it  would  be 
only  $10  if  they  were  declared  at  §499. 

For  Honduras  the  fee  on  goods  valued  up  to  $25  is  $1.00;  up  to  $50  is  $1.50;  up  to  $100  it 
is  $3.00;  up  to  $500  it  is  $6.00;  up  to  $1000  it  is  $10.00.  For  over  $1000  it  is  $10  plus  25  cents 
for  each  $100  up  to  $10,000.  For  over  $10,000,  it  is  $32.50  plus  only  15  cents  for  each  $100. 
Thus  for  $500  you  are  taxed  U  per  cent,  while  for  $10,000  only  i  of  1  per  cent. 

In  the  case  of  Mexico  the  fees  change  for  every  $500  with  the  advantage  always  in  favor 
of  the  large  importer,  although  not  in  so  marked  a  degree  as  in  some  other  cases,  $500  paying 
about  i  of  1  per  cent  and  $5000  about  i  of  1  per  cent. 

Nicaragua  presents  the  following  case,  the  fee  being:  $2.50  up  to  $100;  $3.00  up  to  $200; 
$5.00  up  to  $500;  $10.00  up  to  $1000.  In  excess  of  $1000  the  fee  is  $10  and  i  of  1  per  cent 
of  the  excess.  Hence  the  importer  of  over  $1000  has  a  great  advantage  over  the  smaller  im- 
porter.   Nicaragua  also  calculates  its  fees  on  the  freight  and  other  charges. 

Salvador  also  penalizes  the  small  man  by  charging  $1.00  on  invoices  up  to  $25;  $2.00 
up  to  $100;  $4.00  up  to  $500;  $6.00  up  to  $1000.  For  over  $1000  the  charge  is  $6.00  plus 
25  cents  per  $100.  For  over  $5000  the  charge  is  $16.00  plus  10  cents  per  $100.  Thus  the 
tax  on  $500  is  $4.00  or  f  of  1  per  cent,  while  on  $10,000  it  is  $21,  or  only  i  of  1  per  cent. 

A  similar  scale  for  Santo  Domingo  compels  the  $500  importer  to  pay  $3  or  i  of  1  per 
cent,  while  the  $10,000  importer  pays  $11  or  11-100  of  1  per  cent.  The  scale  is:  $1.00  for  $50; 
$2.00  for  $200;  $3.00  for  $1000;  $4.00  for  $2000;  $5.00  for  $4000;  for  over  $4000  the  charge  is 
$5.00  plus  $1.00  for  each  $100. 

Venezuela  has  a  still  different  range  of  fees,  the  charges  running:  $3.75  for  up  to  $100; 
$5.00  for  up  to  $200;  $7.50  for  up  to  $800.  For  over  $800  the  consul  collects  $7.50  plus  $1.25 
for  each  $200.  Thus  $500  pays  $7.50  or  li  per  cent;  $1000  pays  $8.50  or  85-100  of  1  per 
cent;  $10,000  pays  $63.75  or  64-100  of  1  per  cent. 

In  the  interests  of  fair  play  to  their  own  merchants  the  countries  in  this  last  group  should 
revise  their  scale  of  consular  fees  and  put  them  upon  a  percentage  basis,  no  matter  what  ac- 
tion they  may  take  in  the  matter  of  securing  uniformity  of  such  invoices. 

The  disadvantage  to  the  small  importer  might  be  overcome  were  the  shipper  permitted 
to  consolidate  shipments  to  various  parties  on  a  bill  of  lading  and  issue  only  one  consular  in- 
voice, consigning  all  the  goods  to  one  party  for  distribution.  This,  however,  Ls  prevented  by 
the  regulation  of  most  of  the  countries  that  only  one  shipjnng  mark  may  appear  on  the  con- 
sular invoice.  It  is  po.ssible,  of  course,  to  give  all  the  goods  one  general  shipping  mark,  desig- 
nating the  separate  consignees  by  the  different  numbers  given  to  the  package  composing  the 
shipment,  but  this  recourse  is  generally  available  only  to  the  large  commission  houses  who 
may  have  several  clients  in  one  place  —  and  seldom  to  the  manufacturer  who  does  a  direct 
business  —  and  these  customers  must  all  be  on  good  terms  with  each  other  and  consent  to  the 
arrangement.  In  any  case  it  is  liable  to  cause  delay  in  the  execution  of  the  order,  confusion 
in  the  delivery  of  the  goods  and  makes  it  impossible  to  negotiate  each  invoice  separately.  In 
short,  it  is  generally  unsatisfactory. 

This  system  of  calculating  fees  also  works  somewhat  to  the  restraint  of  trade  in  rendering 
it  extremely  difficult  to  make  C.  I.  F.  quotations,  —  that  is  to  say,  quotations  which  include 
the  cost,  insurance,  freight  and  all  other  charges.  Practically  all  articles  that  are  sold  in  bulk 
or  that  are  subject  to  violent  fluctuations  in  price  should  be  sold  on  cable  quotations,  subject 
to  acceptance  by  cable,  these  quotations  being  the  price  per  unit  delivered  in  the  port  of  entry. 


266  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

With  the  consulur  fees  or  taxes,  however,  varj'ing  in  no  fixed  ratio  to  the  value  or  quantity, 
it  is  impossible  to  determine  a  unit.  Thus  the  countries  using  this  system  force  their  mer- 
chants to  do  a  bu.sinesrt  which  is  unneces^sarily  Kpeculative. 

I  have  gone  thus  into  detail  in  tlie  matter  of  consular  requirements  in  order  to  emphasize 
the  imiKjrtance  of  making  some  reforms.  It  is  now  two  years  since  the  resolutions  cited  by 
Mr.  Carr  were  adopted  by  the  Conference  of  American  States  in  Buenos  Aires  and  nothing 
whatever  has  been  done.  It  is  pos.sible  that  the  matter  has  not  been  brought  forcibly  enough 
to  the  attention  of  commercial  organizations  such  as  arc  represented  at  this  Congress. 

After  ex.amining  tlii.s  somewhat  fonnidable  display  of  the  difTcrences  and  difficulties  in 
the  documents,  it  might  be  asked  why  are  consular  invoices  required.  They  apparently  serve 
one  or  more  of  three  purposes. 

First,  to  facilitate  statistical  work. 

Second,  to  classify  and  value  the  goods  for  custom-house  purpKJses  and  to  prevent  false 
entries. 

Thinl,  to  raise  revenue. 

As  to  the  first,  the  making  of  con.sular  invoices  would  appear  to  cause  unnecessary'  labor 
and  loss  of  time.  All  steamship  companies  require  that  the  bill  of  lading  shall  show  marks, 
numbers,  numbers  of  packages,  class  of  goods,  quantities  and  value.  If  the  con.sul  requires 
these  particulars  for  his  records,  an  extra  copy  of  the  bill  of  lading  can  easilj'  be  fumi.shed  him 
as  in  the  case  of  Uruguay.  The  custom-house  at  the  port  of  entry  gets  an  identical  record,  as 
a  bill  of  latiing  must  be  presented  to  the  consignee  when  the  goods  are  entered.  These  two 
copies  should  be  sufficient  for  all  statistical  purposes. 

As  for  the  second  object,  the  bill  of  lading  again  answers  every  requirement  and  is  again 
supplemcnteil  by  the  consignee's  custom-house  entr>-.  If  desirable  a  separate  invoice  may  be 
prepared  for  custom-house  ends  as  in  the  case  of  Costa  Rica,  and  it  is  immaterial  whether  it 
is  certified  at  the  point  of  shipment  or  at  the  port  of  entry  —  for  it  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  in  the  final  anah-sis  it  is  the  shipper's  word  that  the  consul  takes  that  the  statements  in 
the  consular  invoice  are  true  and  correct.  lie  has  neither  the  time  nor  the  means  to  verify 
them  himself. 

In  regard  to  the  third  object,  to  raise  revenue,  it  has  already  been  pointed  out  that  it 
is  the  consignee  who  eventually  pays  all  the  consular  fees,  since  the  shipper  invariably  either 
charges  them  separately  in  his  commercial  invoice  or  adds  them  to  the  price  of  the  goods, 
be  they  small  or  large.  It  therefore  seems  to  be  a  circuitous  method  of  taxation,  giving  un- 
nece.ssarj'  trouble  and  causing  loss  of  time  to  the  wrong  party.  The  fee  or  tax  could  be  col- 
lected more  directly  at  the  port  of  entry  by  adding  its  amount  to  the  duties  as  a  sur-tax  to 
maintain,  if  jou  will,  the  consular  service.  It  is  well  to  note  that  none  of  the  countries  re- 
quiring consular  invoices  are  free-trade  countries,  although  there  are  countries  which  require 
no  consular  documents  and  which  still  have  a  high  tarifT;  hence  it  would  necessitate  no  new 
machiner>'  to  collect  the  fee  in  this  way. 

I  venture  to  suggest,  therefore,  that  to  facilitate  international  commercial  relations,  the 
aim  of  the  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  should  be,  not  merely  to  secure 
uniformity  in  the  matter  of  consular  invoices,  but  to  abolish  them  entirely,  as  documents 
whose  i)urpose  can  be  more  conveniently  served  othersvise.  The  certificate  of  origin  required 
for  go<Kls  affected  by  tariff  treaties  may  be  retained,  jis  it  gives  but  little  trouble,  although, 
be  it  said  with  all  due  resi)ect  to  the  consular  .service,  the  certification  by  the  consul  of  such  a 
document  is  a  farce,  as  he  never  verifies  the  statements,  the  word  of  the  shipj^cr  being  taken 
as  eulBcient  evidence.  The  abolition  of  con.'^ular  invoices  would  cause  a  great  saving  to  the 
6hii)i)er  in  time  and  labor  antl  in  the  hire  of  clerks  who  must  be  familiar  with  the  requirements 
of  various  countries,  would  reUeve  the  consignee  of  many  fines  occasioned  by  the  fact  that 
many  of  the  present  forms  are  sunply  traps  for  the  unwar}-,  and  would  give  the  consuls  them- 
Bclves  more  leisure  to  devote  to  studying  business  conditions  and  to  report  on  matters  that 
would  promote  the  commercial  interests  of  their  resi)cctive  countries.  The  consul  whose 
tune  is  taken  up  bj'  the  merely  routine  work  of  certifying  invoices  and  recording  fees  cannot 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  267 

do  much  in  the  way  of  independent  research  which  might  be  of  great  value.  It  might  be  well 
to  note  in  this  connection  that  most  of  the  countries  of  Europe,  some  of  which  are  free-trade 
and  some  of  wliich  are  high  tariff  countries,  get  along  verj'  well  without  consular  documents. 
Their  statistics  are  just  as  complete,  their  custom-houses  do  not  suffer  any  more  through 
fraudulent  entries  and  their  revenues  are  maintained  as  well  as  in  the  case  of  countries  requir- 
ing such  documents. 

Tliis  is  the  ideal.  Failing  to  reach  this,  strive  for  the  second  best  —  uniformity  of  con- 
sular invoices.  For  this  the  fonn  recommended  by  the  Fourth  International  Conference  of 
American  States  held  in  Buenos  Aires  in  1910,  a  copy  of  which  has  been  submitted  by  Mr. 
Carr,  seems  to  answer  the  purpose. 

If  even  this  cannot  be  attained,  or  perhaps  as  a  preliminary  step  to  this  end,  the  coun- 
tries which  collect  fees  on  shipjnng  expenses  and  those  whose  fees  are  disproportionate  fixed 
sums  for  specified  amoimts  .'should  at  least  reform  these  inconvenient  requirements. 

My  recommendation,  then,  in  the  matter  of  consular  invoices,  in  the  order  of  desira- 
bility, would  be:  —  Abolition,  Standardization  or  Modification. 

I  beg  to  thank  you,  Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen,  for  the  courtesy  and  attention  with 
which  you  have  listened  to  this  necessarily  dry  and  technical  exposition  and  argument. 

The  President:  The  next  speaker  has  taken  considerable  interest  in  this  matter,  is 
especially  fitted  to  speak  upon  it,  and  I  think  you  will  all  be  pleased  to  hear  him. 

Hon.  John  Barrett,  Dircclor-Gcneral  of  the  Pan-American  Union 

Mr.  President,  and  Members  of  the  Congress: 

I  shall  take  but  a  moment  of  your  time  this  morning,  because  I  know  how  little  time  is 
now  left  to  the  Congress.    But  I  shall  explain  why  I  wish  to  say  a  word  upon  this  subject. 

The  Pan-American  Union,  of  which  I  happen  to  be  executive  officer,  is  greatly  interested 
in  this  problem,  because  perhaps  no  other  official  institution  in  the  world  appreciates  more 
the  necessity  for  improving  the  facilities  for  exchange  and  trade  among  nations.  For  the  in- 
formation of  some  of  the  European  delegates  who  are  here  I  want  to  say  this,  that  the  Pan- 
American  Union  is  an  international  organization  maintained  in  Washington  by  the  joint 
contributions  of  the  21  American  republics,  from  the  United  States  and  Mexico  on  the  north 
to  Argentina  and  Chili  at  the  south.  Its  governing  board  is  made  up  of  ambassadors  and 
ministers  of  those  countries  and  its  affairs  are  directed  by  a  director-general  and  assistant- 
director  chosen  by  that  board. 

I  stand  before  you  in  my  capacity  as  an  oflBcer,  an  international  officer,  not  only  of  the 
United  States  but  of  the  other  20  republics  of  the  Western  hemisphere,  to  urge  upon  you 
the  adoption  of  a  resolution,  if  presented,  in  favor  of  uniformity  of  consular  invoices,  to  im- 
prove and  faciUtate  the  exchange  of  trade. 

Everj'  day  our  correspondents  bring  to  us  letters  not  only  from  American  manufacturers 
and  merchants,  but  from  those  of  Germany,  France,  Belgium,  Holland,  England,  all  over 
the  world,  asking  if  the  Pan-American  Union  as  a  great  international  organization  cannot  do 
something  to  advance  the  cause  of  uniformity  of  consular  invoices. 

I  want  to  say  also  that  there  is  the  sentimental  side.  As  the  head  of  the  international 
organization  which  to-day  is  doing  the  best  possible  work  for  peace,  an  organization  which 
is  perhaps  doing  more  work  along  this  line  than  any  other  great  official  organization  of  the 
world  in  a  j^ractical  form,  that  being  the  groat  thing  for  which  we  are  all  working,  I  would 
say  that  there  is  notliing  that  promotes  friendship  and  accord  among  nations  .-^o  greatly  as 
the  extension  of  trade.  Trade  is  the  apostle,  the  agent  of  peace  and  i)r()sperity  throughout  the 
world,  and  the  more  we  can  do  to  make  the  exchange  among  nations  facile,  the  more  we  can 
do  to  remove  the  difficulties  and  obstacles,  the  nearer  we  will  come  to  the  ultimate  object  of 
this  organization  —  that  of  peace  among  all  nations. 

I  want  to  say  this,  that  the  Pan-American  Congress  held  in  Buenos  Aires  in  1910,  in 


268  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Rio  de  Janeiro  in  1906  and  in  Mexico  in  1901,  to  which  1  had  tlie  honor  to  be  a  delegate  for 
the  Lnitod  States  —  and  even  the  one  which  met  before  in  Washington,  nearly  20  years  ago, — 
dealt  with  this  subject  as  one  of  the  most  profound  interest  to  tiie  three  hundred  or  four 
hundrcil  men  who  gathered  from  every  one  of  the  nations  of  the  Western  hemisphere.  If  it 
is  of  interest  to  them,  it  is  of  interest  to  all  the  world. 

The  Pan-American  I'nion,  as  I  have  often  said,  although  controlled  and  developed  by 
the  American  nations,  being  an  American  organization,  has  nothing  whatever  in  its  constitu- 
tion or  work  that  is  antagonistic  to  Europe.  On  the  other  hjuul,  it  is  desirous  of  seeing  trade 
between  the  Latin-American  countries  and  the  Unitetl  States,  and  Europe  and  the  Orient, 
built  up,  becau.se  it  is  of  interest  and  bene6t  to  all.  This  concerns  the  countries  of  Europe 
just  as  much  as  it  does  the  United  States  and  South  American  countries;  and  so  I  appeal  to 
you  to  go  forward  in  a  spirit  of  fairness,  as  men  who  want  to  see  every  countrj'  get  the  ad- 
vantage in  trade,  considering  the  proposition  in  a  fair  way,  and  in  some  manner  getting  some- 
thing practical  out  of  the  discussions  this  morning. 

Gentlemen,  I  thank  you. 

M.  le  President:  M.  C.  H.  Catelli  a  raaintenant  la  parole. 

{Translation) 

Mr.  C.  n.  Catelli,  now  has  the  floor. 

M.  C.  H.  Catelli,  Member  of  Montreal  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Monsieur  le  Pr('>sident,  messieurs  les  mcmbres  du  congr6s  international,  je  represente  la 
Chambre  de  commerce  de  Montreal.  Comme  I'a  dit  M.  Wilbur  Carr,  il  faut  de  plus  en  plus 
tendre  k  la  simplification  des  moyens  permettant  aux  nations  d'avoir  des  relations  les  unes 
avec  les  autres. 

Faire  lY'conomie  du  travail  et  des  capitaux  et  faire  I'accord  mutuel  comme  base  des  re- 
lations, tant  politiques  que  commerciales;  et  pour  arriver  ^  cette  simplification,  h  cette  Eco- 
nomic et  vers  cet  accord  mutuel,  M.  Carr  reconimande  d'assurer  la  r(''glementation  uniform 
en  ce  qui  conccme  la  facture  paraph(?e  par  les  consuls.  Or,  la  Chambre  de  commerce  de  Mon- 
trtl-a!  (Canada),  soumet  respectueusemcnt  h  ce  congrcs  s'il  ne  serait  pas  desirable  d'elargir  le 
cadre  de  la  question  qui  nous  occupe  en  ce  moment  et  d'(?mettre  le  vopu  que  le  gouvernements 
des  divers  pays  represent<5s  k  ce  congrds,  autorise  les  Chambres  de  commerce  k  l(5galiser  les 
(^^critures  d'exp(?diteurs,  comme  cela  se  fait  d6j^  par  le  consul  en  vertu  du  traits  qui  rdgle  les 
relations  commerciales  du  Canada  avec  la  France.  Cette  autorisation  est  donn^e  aux  prc.'ii- 
dents  des  Chambres  de  commerce  et  aux  presidents  des  associations  commerciales  en  Italic. 
Je  crois  que  le  pr<5sidcnt  des  Chambres  de  commerce  a  cette  autoritd  nulle  part  autant  qu'au 
Canada.  Cette  innovation  aura  d'heureux  r<''sultats.  Le  Canada  est  appel(^'  a  devonir  un  grand 
pays  d'exi)ort.ation,  mais  le  nombre  de  consuls  n'est  pas  aussi  considcf'rablc  qu'il  dcvrait  I'^tre. 
Or,  si  les  gouvernements  exigent  un  certificat  d'originc  vis6  par  les  consuls,  les  ex])ortateurs 
canadieiLs  auront  k  soufTrir  de  graves  inconv^nients,  et  il  en  serait  de  mfime  pour  tous  paj's 
oil  le  territoirc  est  immense. 

En  Canada,  les  consuls  sont  <5tablis  dans  les  grandes  villes.  Or,  on  ne  peut  se  rcndre 
comptc  des  ennuis  des  c.xportateurs  que  le  jour  oh  il  faudra  se  rendre  chez  le  consul  pour  faire 
viser  les  factures.  D'un  autre  c6t<5,  il  existe  des  Chambres  de  commerce  dans  toutes  les  villes. 
On  voit  quels  services  peut  rendre  une  loi  qui  autorise  les  pr(?sidents  des  Ciiambres  de  com- 
merce k  parapher  les  factures;  c'est  par  ce  moyeu  qu'on  arrivera  k  simplificr  toutes  les 
formalit«''s  qui  r^gissent  les  rapports  entrc  les  commergants  des  divers  pays. 

{Translation) 

Mr.  President,  Members  of  the  International  Congress,  I  represent  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  of  Montreal.  As  Mr.  Wilbur  Carr  has  said,  there  is  more  and  more  need 
for  the  simplification  of  the  means  by  which  nations  have  relations  with  one  another. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  269 

With  a  view  to  the  economy  of  capital  and  labor  and  with  a  v'iew  to  making  mutual 
good  will  the  foundation  of  both  political  and  commercial  relations,  and  in  ortler  to 
arrive  at  this  economy  and  to  approach  this  mutual  good  will,  Mr.  Carr  recommends 
uniform  regulations  in  the  matter  of  consular  invoices.  Now  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
of  Montreal,  Canada,  respectfully  submits  to  this  Congress  whether  it  will  not  be  de- 
sirable to  enlarge  the  scope  of  the  question  which  we  have  under  consideration  at  this 
time,  and  to  adopt  a  resolution  that  the  governments  of  the  different  countries  repre- 
sented at  this  Congress  authorize  chambers  of  commerce  to  legalize  the  documents  of 
e.xporters,  as  is  done  already  by  the  consul  under  a  treaty  which  regulates  the  commer- 
cial relations  of  Canada  with  France.  This  authority  is  given  to  the  presidents  of 
chambers  of  commerce  and  to  the  presidents  of  commercial  associations  in  Italy.  I 
think  that  the  presidents  of  chambers  of  commerce  have  this  authority  nowhere  as 
much  as  in  Canada.  This  innovation  will  have  verj'  happy  results.  Canada  is  becoming 
a  great  exporting  country-,  but  the  number  of  consuls  is  not  as  large  as  it  should  be. 
Now  if  the  governments  demand  a  certificate  of  origin  vised  by  the  consuls,  Canadian 
exporters  will  have  to  suffer  great  inconvenience,  but  it  will  be  the  same  for  all  coun- 
tries where  the  territory  is  immense. 

In  Canada  the  consuls  are  located  in  the  large  cities.  It  is  impossible  to  realize 
the  great  inconvenience  to  exporters  if  it  should  be  necessary  to  go  to  the  office  of  the 
consul  to  have  the  invoices  signed.  On  the  other  hand  chambers  of  commerce  exist  in 
all  cities.  It  is  easy  to  see  of  what  great  service  would  be  a  law  which  authorizes 
the  presidents  of  the  chambers  of  commerce  to  sign  the  invoices.  By  this  means  the 
formalities  governing  the  dealings  between  merchants  and  different  countries  would  be 
simplified. 

M.  le  President:  M.  Morton  a  la  parole. 

{Translation) 

Mr.  Morton  has  the  floor. 


Mr.  C.  D.  Morton,  London  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen,  we  have  great  pleasure  in  supporting  the  most  able  paper 
of  Mr.  Wilbur  Carr,  whom  we  think  has  dealt  with  this  subject  in  a  very  clear,  concise  and 
able  manner.  He  has  taken  up  every  possible  detail  and  explained  it  fully,  and  we  give  it 
most  hearty  support. 

There  is  one  point  I  would  like  to  mention,  and  that  is  in  regard  to  a  custom  that  pre- 
vails in  some  parts  of  South  America  of  delivering  goods  against  a  consular  invoice.  I  have 
always  understood  myself,  and  I  think  it  is  the  general  unflerstanding,  that  a  consular  in- 
voice is  not  to  be  used  as  a  bill  of  lading.    But  this  does  occur  in  a  few  of  the  republics. 

I  take  the  liberty  of  mentioning  it  here,  as  I  think  it  is  a  practice  that  we  do  not  wish 
to  see  grow.  In  London,  we  consider  the  bill  of  lading  to  be  the  legal  document  which  fur- 
nishes the  only  title  to  claim  the  goods.    {A-pplause.) 

M.  le  President:  M.  Soetbeer  a  la  parole. 

{Translation) 

Mr.  Soetbeer  has  the  floor. 


Dr.  Soetbeer,  "Drr  Deutsche  flandclslag"  of  Berlin. 

Mcine  Herren!  Die  Tagesordnung  lautet:  ,,Vereinheithchung  der  Konsulats-Fakturen," 
und  der  Herr  Berichterstattcr  wiinscht,  daC  wir  uns  dafiir  aussprechen,  daB  die  Konsulats- 
Fakturen  vereinheitlicht  werden. 


270  INTEHXATIOXAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Ich  bin  nicht  (lagogcn,  —  im  Gegenleil,  ich  glaube,  daC  dies  wiinschenswert  ist;  —  aber 
ich  hnlM?  dan  Iknliirfnis  zu  crkhiren,  daC  dcr  Wunsch  sehr  bcschciden  ist.  Es  ist  nicht  so 
wichtig,  daC  die  Konsulats-Kakturen  einhoitlich  sind,  als  dafi  nioglichst  wenig  Beliistigungen 
durch  die  Konsulat.s-Kakturcn  herbeigcfiihrt  werden.  Moglichst  wenig  Beliistigungen  nach 
drei  Hichtungon  bin:  einnial,  dafi  die  verlangte  Zahl  der  Konsulats-Fakturcn  moglichst  gering 
ist;  zweitens,  daD  die  geforderten  Formalitaten  tunlichst  einfach  sind,  —  damit  man  nicht 
etwft  eret  zum  Notar  zu  gehen  braucht,  wie  es  einige  Staaten  verlangen;  und  drittens,  daC  sie 
moglichst  billig  sind.    („Schr  richtig.'") 

Das  sind  drei  Forderungen,  die  unbedingt  wichtiger  sind,  als  die  Vereinheitlichung,  denn 
wenn  dicsc  \'ereinhoitlichung  schlccht  ist,  dann  haben  wir  kein  Interesse  daran,  wir  haben  nur 
dann  cin  Interesse  daran,  wenn  die  Vereinheitlichung  gut  ist,  und  wir  haben  das  erste  Interesse 
darjin,  —  wie  auch  schon  einrr  der  Ilerren  \'orredner  bemerkte,  —  daC  die  Konsulats-Fakturen 
Qberhaupt  abgeschaflt  werden.     {,,Bravo!  "  —  „Sehr  richtig !  ") 

Els  ist  eine  besondere  Liebenswiirdigkeit  unsercr  Freunde  aus  den  Vereinigten  Staaten, 
daC  sie  uns  Gelcgcnheit  geben,  hier  zu  sagen,  daG  wir  leidcr  in  Dcutschland  selu*  belastigt 
wertlen  durch  die  Fordemngen  der  Vereinigten  Staaten,  die  man  an  diejenigen  Firmen  stellt, 
die  nach  den  Vereinigten  Staaten  exportieren,  hinsichtlich  der  Konsulats-Fakturen,  wie  z.  B. 
Angabo  des  Wertes  usw.,  und  ich  mcichte  um  Nachforschungen  dariiber  bitten,  inwieweit 
diese  Anfonlerungen  richtig  sind,  nach  der  Art,  wie  die  Sachen  gemacht  werden  miissen. 
Kurz  und  gut:  es  gibt  eine  ganze  Anzahl  von  Dingen,  die  man  hier  vorbringen  konnte,  und  ich 
mochte  erklaren,  indem  ich  schlieCe,  daC  ich  den  hier  in  der  Vorlage  geiiuBerten  Wunsch  fiir 
Behr  bescheiden  halte,  und  dafi  ich  nur  deshalb  keine  weiteren  Antriige  stelle,  weil  sie  uber 
den  Rahmen  der  heutigen  Tagesordnung  hinweggehen  wurden.     {Beifall.) 

(Translation) 

Gentlemen,  the  order  of  the  day  reads,  "Uniformity  in  the  Matter  of  Consular  In- 
voices," and  the  esteemed  Reporter  wishes  to  have  us  pronounce  ourselves  in  favor  of 
having  consular  invoices  made  uniform. 

I  am  not  oi)posed,  —  on  the  contrar}',  I  believe  this  is  highly  desirable, — but  I 
would  like  to  say  that  this  wish  is  rather  modest.  It  is  not  so  important  to  have  the 
consular  invoices  uniform  as  it  is  to  have  as  few  annoyances  as  possible  in  connection 
with  consular  invoices.  We  wish  to  reduce  as  far  as  possible  the  trouble  in  three  direc- 
tions: first,  the  number  of  copies  of  the  consular  invoices  should  be  as  small  as  possible; 
second,  the  formalities  required  should  be  simplified  as  far  as  possible,  —  for  instance,  to 
make  it  imnecessary  to  first  go  before  a  notarj',  as  is  required  by  some  countries;  and, 
third,  the  charges  should  be  as  low  as  jwssible.     {Approval.) 

These  three  demands  are  undoubtedly  more  important  than  mere  uniformity,  since 
if  this  uniformity  is  bad  it  would  not  be  to  our  advantage.  We  arc  only  interested  in  it 
if  the  uniformity  is  good,  and  our  greatest  interest,  —  as  one  of  our  speakers  has 
already  siiid,  —  would  be  to  have  the  consular  invoices  abolished  altogether.    {Applause.) 

It  is  especially  kind  of  our  friends  in  the  United  States  that  they  give  us  an  oppor- 
tunity to  say  here  that  we  are  in  Germany  very  much  bothered  through  the  require- 
ments of  the  United  States  from  firms  ex])orting  to  the  United  States  in  respect  to  the 
consular  invoices,  as  for  instance,  the  statement  of  value  and  so  forth,  and  I  should  be 
glad  to  obtain  information  as  to  how  far  these  requirements  are  correct  and  how  the 
matter  really  should  be  carried  out.  In  brief,  there  are  many  things  which  might  be 
stated  here,  and  I  will  say  in  closing  that  I  consider  the  desire  expressed  in  the  motion 
to  be  ver>-  modest,  and  that  1  am  only  withheld  from  a  further  motion  by  the  fact  that  it 
would  exceed  the  scope  of  our  present  order  of  the  day.    {Applarise.) 

M.  le  President:  M.  Kiesselbach  a  la  parole. 
(Translation) 

Mr.  KiEssEUJACH  has  the  floor. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  271 

Dr.  A.  Eliesselbach,  Hamburg  Chamber  of  Commerce 

I  am  not  able  to  follow  the  deductions  of  this  report,  because  I  believe  that  the  disad- 
vantages of  the  present  system  of  consular  invoices  would  not  be  avoided  if  we  should  accept 
this  proposed  form  for  consular  invoices.  C)n  page  2  of  the  report  you  find  enumerated  a 
number  of  complaints  about  the  present  system.  The  first  complaint  you  find  there  is  that 
"Some  countries  require  the  shipper  to  submit  only  three  copies,  while  others  require  five, 
six  or,  as  in  the  case  of  Ecuador,  seven  copies."  The  proposed  form  of  invoice  does  not  say 
anything  about  the  number  or  price  which  the  shipper  would  have  to  submit,  so  that  at  this 
l)oint  the  accei)tance  of  the  proposed  form  would  not  be  of  any  advantage. 

The  secoml  point  concerns  the  language  which  is  to  be  used  for  the  invoices.  The  report 
says,  "Most  countries  require  invoices  to  be  in  Spanish,  while  others  permit  also  the  use  of 
English."  The  proposed  form  of  invoice  uses  the  English  language.  I  do  not  know  if  it  is 
intended  to  prescribe  exclusively  the  use  of  the  English  language.  That  would  be  no  relief 
for  an  exporter  in  Spain.  But  if  it  is  not  intended,  also  in  this  point  the  acceptance  of  the 
proposed  form  could  not  bring  any  advantage. 

The  third  point  you  find  on  page  2:  "Invoices  for  some  of  the  countries  must  be  sworn 
to,"  etc.    That  is  the  same  as  with  other  points  you  find  enumerated  there. 

So  I  am  sorrj-  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  acceptance  of  the  proposed  form  of  con- 
sular invoice  cannot  be  considered,  as  I  say,  as  in  the  line  of  progress. 

M.  le  President:  M.  Maxes  a  la  parole. 

(Translation) 

Mr.  Manes  has  the  floor. 

Herr  Hugo  Manes,  Associatioti  of  Export  Houses,  Frankfort-on-the-Main 

Mcine  Herren!  Um  Ihnen  nur  an  einem  Beispiel  klarzumachen,  wie  sehr  es  notig  ist,  die 
Konsulats-Fakturen  einer  einheit lichen  Regelung  zu  unterziehen,  will  ich  nur  mitteilen,  daC 
ich  hier  ungefiihr  ein  Dutzend  Briefe  von  deutschen  Ex-porteuren  und  Fabrikanten  babe,  in 
denen  ausgefiihrt  wird,  daC  die  Konsulate  der  Kubanischen  Republik  die  deutschen  Faktu- 
ren,  die  nach  Kuba  gehen,  in  einer  sehr  eigentiimUchen  Weise  behandeln. 

Der  General-Konsul  in  Hamburg  verlangt  eine  siebenfache  Ausfiihrung  auf  von  ihm 
bezogenen  Formularen,  von  denen  jc  die  erste  Seite  mit  10  Pfennig  und  je  die  zweite  Seite 
mit  5  Pfennig  bcrcchnet  wird.  Der  Konsul  in  Bremen  verlangt  eine  fiinffache  und  der  Kon- 
Bul  in  Niimberg  eine  dreifache  Ausfertigung  dor  Fakturen. 

Hieraus  ersehen  Sie,  meine  Herren,  daC  es  unbedingt  erforderlich  ist,  die  ganze  Frage 
einmal  einheitlich  zu  regeln.     (Beifall.) 

{Translation) 

Gentlemen,  to  show  you  by  an  example  how  necessary  it  is  to  have  consular  in- 
voices subject  to  uniform  regulations  I  would  say  that  I  have  here  about  a  dozen  letters 
from  German  exporters  and  manufacturers  stating  that  the  consulates  of  the  Cuban 
Republic  treat  the  German  invoices  which  are  sent  to  Cuba  in  a  verj'  peculiar  maimer. 

The  Consul  General  in  Hamburg  requires  seven  copies  on  forms  furnished  by  him, 
for  which  a  charge  is  made  of  ten  Pfennigs  for  the  first  page  and  five  Pfennigs  for  each 
additional  page.  The  Consul  in  Bremen  requires  five  copies,  while  the  Consul  in 
Nuremburg  only  demands  three  copies. 

This  will  show  you,  gentlemen,  that  it  is  entirely  to  be  desired  that  the  entire 
question  should  be  uniformly  regulated.     (Applause.) 

M.  le  F*resident:  M.  Paul  Meyer  a  la  parole. 

(Translation) 

Mr.  Paul  Meter  has  the  floor. 


272  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Mr.  Paul  Meyer,  .\oUingham  Cfuimbcr  of  Commerce 

Mr.  Prcsidt-nt  and  Gentlemen,  the  time  for  closing  our  proceedings  is  approaching,  and 
I  fhall  be  verj'  brii-f.  While  1  am  most  anxious  not  to  hurt  the  feelings  of  our  American 
friendii,  who  have  done  and  are  doing  so  much  for  our  comfort  and  pleii-sure,  I  think  I  must 
not  let  this  occttsion  pass  without  mentioning  the  abuses  to  which  consular  invoices  sometimes 
lea<l.  You  are  all  business  men  and  you  know  that  between  customers  one  sometimes  has  to 
differentiate.  That  is  to  say,  a  man  who  buys  a  hundred  pieces  generally  gets  an  advantage 
over  the  nuin  who  buys  five  or  ten.  While  the  American  Government  is  most  anxious  to  study 
all  the  markets  and  get  to  tliis  real  market  value  of  merchandise,  and  while,  as  far  as  I  know, 
the  Europeans  are  most  anxious  to  support  the  endeavor  of  the  American  officers,  we  find 
great  difiiculty  in  getting  satisfaction.  One  abuse  which  I  think  I  must  bring  before  you  is 
this,  that  when  the  custom-hou.se  in  the  United  States  is  in  doubt  as  to  whether  the  market 
value  is  correct,  as  state<l  in  the  invoice,  they  generally  go  to  some  of  the  firms  who  handle 
the  same  article  and  get  their  infonnation.  This  is  all  right,  everj'body  wants  to  do  what  he 
can  to  support  honest  trade.  But  if  the  custom-house  in  some  instances  goes  so  far  as  to 
show  the  invoice  to  the  competitor  of  the  man  to  whom  the  invoice  is  directed,  I  say  it  is 
abusing  consular  invoices.     (Applause.) 

1  am  quite  prepared  to  give  chapter  and  verse  to  some  select  committee  who  may  wish 
to  know  facts.  Speaking  for  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Nottingham,  we  heartly  agree  with 
the  idea  of  unifying  as  much  as  possible  the  consular  invoices.     [Applause.) 

M.  le  President:  .M.  J.  A.  I.eckie  a  la  parole. 

{Translnlioti) 

Mr.  J.  A.  Leckie  has  the  floor. 


Mr.  Joseph  A.  Leckie,  Walsall  (England)  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen,  in  view  of  the  late  hour  I  would  waive  my  right  to  speak 
at  this  time,  with  the  understanding  that  I  may  prepare  a  few  brief  remarks  and  put  them  in 
the  proceedings. 

(Permission  was  accorded  Mr.  Leckie  to  do  this,  and  later  he  submitted  the  following:) 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen:  On  behalf  of  the  Walsall  Chamber  of  Commerce  I  desire 
to  give  the  most  hearty  support  to  the  report  of  Mr.  Carr,  and  to  the  recommendations  which 
he  makes.  Anything  that  will  tend  to  simplify  these  exasperating  documents  called  Consular 
Invoices  will  have  the  enthusiastic  support  of  Great  Britain.  Indeed  we  should  like  to  go 
farther.  We  do  not  see  that  the  value  of  consular  invoices  is  commensurate  with  the  trou- 
ble, worry  and  expense  which  their  preparation  involves.  In  fact,  there  is  an  idea  in  some 
quarters  —  mistaken  it  may  be  —  that  these  documents  are  demanded  in  order  to  find  work 
and  fees  for  the  consuls  of  the  countries  which  insist  upon  them. 

If  great  business  nations  like  Gennany  and  Great  Britain  can  get  along  without  con- 
sular invoices  surely  tiiat  is  prima  facie  evidence  that  they  arc  not  absolutely  necessary  for 
the  due  conduct  of  import  trade.  Perhaps  the  abolition  of  consular  invoices  is  at  the  moment 
not  a  question  of  practical  politics,  and  in  the  meantime,  we  hope  the  recommendation  of 
Mr.  Carr  will  be  adopted  by  the  different  governments  concerned.  The  simplification  and 
uniformity  which  this  will  bring  about  will  be  welcomed  by  British  business  men. 

M.  le  President:  Son  Excellence  F.  A.  Pezet  a  la  parole. 

(Translation) 

His  Excellency  F.  A.  Pezet  has  the  floor. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  273 

His  Excellency  F.  A.  Pezet,  Minister  of  Peru,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Mr.  President,  Gentlemen,  I  do  not  want  to  take  any  of  your  time.  I  ju.st  \vi.sh  to  men- 
tion that  I  am  here  not  as  repre.-^entative  of  the  Peruvian  Govemmont,  although  I  am  Min- 
ister at  Wa-shington  from  that  country.  I  am  representative  of  the  commercial  interests  of 
Peru,  the  Chambers  of  Commerce  of  Callao  and  Lima,  and  the  Stock  Exchange  of  Lima.  I 
was  in  the  con.sular  service  many  years  before  I  went  into  the  diplomatic.  I  am  familiar 
with  this  question  of  consular  invoices,  and  personally  I  have  always  recommended  to  my 
government  the  abolition  of  consular  invoices,  as  I  considered  them  perfectly  useless.  {"Hear 
hear!")  And,  speaking  for  the  commercial  interests  of  Peru,  the  chambers  of  commerce  of 
my  countr>',  I  am  authorized  to  state  that  notwithstanding  the  position  which  my  govern- 
ment may  wish  to  take  in  this  matter,  the  commercial  interests  in  Peru  wi.sh  and  desire  the 
complete  abolition  of  the  con.sular  invoice  —  just  attach  the  signature  of  the  con.sul  to  two 
copies  of  the  bill  of  lading,  thus  making  it  more  valid  if  possible.  I  have  the  honor  to  salute 
you.     {Applause.) 

M.  le  President:  Le  dernier  orateur  est  AL  ErrcfeNE  Allard. 

{Translation) 

Mr.  Eugene  Allard  will  be  the  last  speaker. 


M.  Eugene  Allard,  President  of  Belgian  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris 

Je  n'ai  qu'une  seule  demande  k  faire:  devant  les  mesures  qu'on  nous  propose,  devant 
I'esp&ce  de  reportage  qu'on  veut  donner  h  ces  mots  "factures  consulaires,"  eh  bien!  messieurs, 
je  crois  qu'il  appartient  au  congres  de  demander  carr(5ment  la  sup[)ression  pure  et  simple  de 
la  facture  consulaire. 

(Translation) 

I  have  only  one  request  to  make.  In  advance  of  the  steps  which  are  proposed, 
in  advance  of  the  kind  of  continuance  .sought  to  be  given  to  the  words  "consular  in- 
voices," I  think,  gentlemen,  that  it  would  be  proper  for  the  Congress  to  demand 
squarely  the  absolute  abolition  of  the  consular  invoice. 

M.  le  President:  J'ai  une  proposition:  nous  nous  trouvons  en  presence  d'un  rapport. 
Nous  prcnons  acte  de  vos  remarques.  Les  orateurs  ont  fini  d'adresser  la  parole,  je  vais  main- 
tenant  donner  lecture  de  la  proposition. 

(Translation) 

A  motion  has  been  presented;  we  have  a  report  before  us.  We  will  make  due 
note  of  your  remarks.  The  speakers  have  finished  their  speeches.  I  will  now  read  the 
draft  of  the  resolution. 

{Continuing  in  English) 

The  Congre.ss  approves  in  principle  the  proposal  for  uniformity  of  consular  invoices,  and 
recommends  to  the  interested  States  for  their  consideration  the  form  of  consular  invoice  pre- 
pared by  the  Fourth  Conference  of  the  Pan-.\merican  I'nion. 

The  Congress  approves  the  recommendation  for  moderate  con.sular  fees  and  their  strict 
limitation  to  amounts  necessary  to  cover  the  cost  of  the  consular  service. 

{Continuing  in  French) 

Ceux  qui  sont  d'avis  d'adopter  ces  conclusions,  qu'ils  veulent  bien  lever  la  main. 
{Lev6e  de  mains  ginirale.)    L'dpreuve  contraire?    Le  Congris  adopte. 

(Translation) 

Those  in  favor  of  adopting  these  resolutions  will  plea.se  raise  their  hands.  (General 
raising  of  hands.)    Contrarj-  minded?    The  Congress  adopts  the  resolutions. 


274  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Un  D616gu6:  Monsieur  Ic  Prdsident  .  .  . 

{Translation) 

A  Delegatk:  Mr.  President  .  .  . 

M.  le  President:  Sur  ciuellc  question,  monsieur? 

(Triiiuslation) 

On  what  question,  please? 

His  Excellency  Antonio  Martin  Rivero,  Minister  of  Cuba,  Washington,  D.  C;  Delegate  of  the 
Government  of  Cuba 

I  will  speak  in  English.  This  proposition  wjus  presented  at  the  table  by  the  delegation 
from  Cuba.  I  sent  it  myself  and  I  want  it  to  stand  on  record  that  this  was  proposed  by  this 
delegation,  and  also  that  1  know  that  the  representative  of  Japan  desires  to  second  that  mo- 
tion before  it  is  put  to  vote  —  that  is,  the  question  before  the  house. 

The  President:  That  will  be  recorded  in  the  transactions. 


THE    DESIRABILITY    OF    AN    INTERNATIONAL    CONFERENCE 
ON    PRICES   AND   THE   COST    OF   LIVING 

M.  le  F*resident:  Maintenant,  nous  abordons  le  dernier  ordre  du  jour.  J'ai  demands 
hier  d'avoir  un  peu  dc  patience  et  que  nous  pourrions  ainsi  terminer  ce  matin.  II  est  midi, 
nous  avons  uuc  heure  devant  nous,  et  avec  un  peu  de  bonne  volontd,  nous  pouvons  finir. 

(Translation) 

We  will  now  begin  on  the  last  subject  on  the  order  of  the  day.  I  asked  yesterday 
that  you  kindly  have  a  little  patience  which  will  enable  us  to  finish  this  morning.  It 
is  now  twelve  o'clock;  we  have  an  hour  before  us  and  with  a  Uttle  good  will  we  shall 
be  able  to  finish. 

M.  le  President:  Le  rapporteur,  M.  Fisher,  a  la  parole. 

(Translation) 

The  Reporter,  Mr.  Fisheb,  has  the  floor. 

Prof.  Irving  Fisher,  Yale  University 

Gentlemen,  inasmuch  as  my  report  has  been  pubUshed  and  circulated  I  will  confine  my- 
self, in  order  to  save  time,  to  a  brief  summary  of  the  report,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  have 
not  read  it. 

The  fact  of  high  prices  is  world-wide.  Primarily  this  is  a  business  fact.  Convulsions  in 
prices,  booms  and  depressions,  concern  rightly  business  men.  Less  than  a  generation  ago 
the  whole  world  was  complaining  of  a  prolonged  fall  in  prices;  now  it  is  complaining  of  a  jiro- 
longed  rise  in  prices.  Then  the  cry  was.  Depression  of  trade;  now  the  cr>-  is.  The  high  cost  of 
living.  Then  there  wa.s  a  great  deal  said  about  the  purchiusing  power  of  money  increasing, 
and  now  the  purchasing  power  of  money  is  decreasing.  Then  much  was  said  about  the  scar- 
city of  gold;  now  much  is  sjiid  about  the  abundjince  of  gold.  Then  there  were  proposals  carried 
out  for  intemationiU  conferences  on  the  gold  question,  and  to-day  there  is  a  proposal  for  an 
international  conference  on  the  whole  subject  of  the  high  cost  of  living. 

I  believe  the  time  will  come  when  business  men  may  well  feel  the  need  of  a  more  stable 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  275 

standard  of  value.  That  is,  we  should  have  a  gold  standard  which  is  of  constant  purchasing 
power  instead  of  merely,  as  at  present,  constant  weight.  One  of  New  York's  foremost  busi- 
ness men,  a  cotton  broker,  is  to-tlay  devoting  much  of  his  time  to  e.xliibiting  the  evils  to  in- 
vestors and  business  men  of  a  variable  dollar. 

The  proposal  for  an  international  investigation  of  the  high  cost  of  living  —  the  facts,  the 
causes,  the  effects,  the  possible  remedies,  including  not  only  the  .subject  of  a  variable  unit  of 
purchasing  power,  but  also  the  subject  of  the  purchasing  jiower  of  one's  whole  income,  has 
been  endorsed  by  the  leading  business  men  and  organizations  of  this  countr>'  and  some  of 
Euroj)e.  Financial  editors,  railway  presidents,  bankers  and  others,  have  joined  in  the  move- 
ment for  an  international  investigation.  Manj-  chambers  of  commerce  have  done  this.  A 
partial  list  is  included  in  the  printed  report.  It  inclutles  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
The  proposal  has  the  endorsement  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  of  all  the  candi- 
dates for  the  presidency  in  the  present  campaign.  It  has  the  endorsement  of  the  "London 
I'A'onomist,"  of  the  "London  Statist";  the  endorsement  of  Bemhard  Dernburg,  formerly 
Secretary'  of  State  of  Germany;  of  Hon.  Raymond  Poincare,  Premier  of  France;  Dr.  Robert 
Meyer,  Finance  Minister  of  Austria;  Dr.  Morawitz,  President  of  the  Anglo-Austrian  Bank 
of  Vienna;  Signor  Luigi  Luzzatti,  formerly  jMini.ster  of  State,  Rome;  of  Baron  Y.  Sakatani, 
formerly  Finance  Minister  of  Japan,  and  many  others,  a  partial  list  of  whom  is  given  in  the 
printed  report. 

On  February  2,  1912,  President  Taft  sent  a  special  message  to  Congress,  advocating  that 
Congress  authorize  him  to  call  together  an  international  conference  to  discuss  the  cost  of 
living.    In  that  message  he  said : 

"There  has  been  a  strong  movement  among  economists,  business  men  and  others  inter- 
■>ted  in  economic  investigation  to  secure  the  appointment  of  an  international  commission 
to  look  into  the  cause  for  the  high  prices  of  the  necessities  of  life. 

"For  some  years  past  the  high  and  steadily  increasing  cost  of  living  has  been  a  matter  of 
such  grave  public  concern  that  I  deem  it  of  great  public  interest  that  an  international  confer- 
ence be  proposed  at  this  time  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  plans,  to  be  submitted  to  the  va- 
rious governments,  for  an  international  inquiry  into  the  high  cost  of  living,  its  extent,  causes, 
effects  and  possible  remedies  .  .  . 

"The  numerous  investigations  on  the  subject,  official  or  other,  already  made  in  various 
countries  (such  as  Austria,  Belgium,  Canada,  Denmark,  France,  Germany,  Great  Britain, 
Italy,  the  Netherlands  and  the  United  States)  have  themselves  strongly  demonstrated  the 
need  of  further  study  of  world-wide  scope.  Those  who  have  conducted  these  investigations 
have  found  that  the  phenomenon  of  rising  prices  is  almost  if  not  quite  general  throughout  the 
world;  but  they  are  baffled  in  the  attempt  to  trace  the  causes  by  the  impossibUlity  of  making 
any  accurate  international  comparisons." 

Prior  to  the  President's  message.  Senator  Crawford  had  introduced  a  bill  for  this  pur- 
pose, and  afterwards  Mr.  WiHiam  Sulzer,  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Foreign  Affairs  in 
the  House,  introduced  a  bill,  and  the  Senate  bill  has  been  unanimously  jias-sed  in  April,  1912, 
and  it  has  been  unanimously  recommended  by  the  House  Committee  on  Foreign  Affairs  on 
May  15,  1912,  in  an  elaborate  report  of  twenty-nine  pages.  It  now  goes  over  as  unfinished 
business,  to  be  voted  on  in  the  House  of  Representatives  at  the  next  Congress.  Having 
passed  one  House  it  still  requires  pas.sage  in  the  other  and  the  signature  of  the  President. 

The  work  to  be  undertaken  by  such  an  inquiry'  would  relate  to  three  branches.  First, 
the  facts  —  the  facts  as  to  the  high  cost  of  living;  .second,  the  cau.ses;  third,  the  remedy. 

Even  as  to  the  facts,  there  is  difference  of  opinion.  Although  there  is  a  great  deal  of  glib 
discussion,  when  the  facts  as  presented  are  challenged  they  arc  found  to  rest  on  very  insecure 
foundation.  Very  few  nations  have  any  index  numbers  showing  the  extent  of  the  change  in 
prices.  The  few  that  have  —  such  as  the  United  States,  Canada,  England,  France,  Germany, 
Japan  and  India  —  all  have  them  bj-  different  methods.  For  instance,  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Labor  has  an  index  number  involving  256  commodities;  England,  through  the  wool 
merchant,  Mr.  Saurbeck,  has  an  index  number  of  44;  the  "London  Economist"  has  22. 


276  IXTERXATIOXAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Our  Commisaioncr  of  Labor,  Dr.  Xeill,  has  long  sought  to  secure  some  degree  of  unity  of  method 
and  compariibility  of  statistics  and  index  numbers;  and  I  am  informed  this  morning  that  the 
National  Hungarian  Commercial  -\8sociation  at  Budapest  has  recently  passed  a  resolution 
asking  some  methcxl  of  uniformity  in  index  numbers  of  prices. 

As  to  the  causes,  there  is  much  di.sagreement.  Much  is  said  of  gold,  something  of  credit, 
something  of  tariffs.  There  are  at  least  twenty  odd  causes  assigned  for  the  high  cost  of  living. 
These  should  be  investigated  and  reduced  to  a  few,  at  any  rate. 

As  to  remedies,  there  is  still  more  need  of  an  international  conference.  Many  minor 
practical  propowils  have  been  made,  and  many  radical  suggestions  have  been  made.  All 
should  receive  consideration. 

Among  the  suggestions  to  go  to  the  root  of  the  matter  is  one  of  my  own  in  reference  to 
the  dollar  a-s  a  stable  standard  of  purcha.'^ing  power.  The  suggestion  which  I  have  made  and 
which  is  claboratetl  somewhat  in  this  report,  and  still  further  in  some  tjT>ewritten  memo- 
randa here,  is  simply  the  working  out  of  an  idea  suggested  some  time  ago  by  Gov.  Woodrow 
Wilson,  now  one  of  the  nominees  for  the  presidency  of  the  United  States.  I  did  not  intend  to 
mention  this  detail,  but  the  Boston  committee  on  program  asked  me  to  do  so,  and  I  have 
done  so  merely  as  an  illustration  of  the  kind  of  subject  which  would  be  considered  by  an  in- 
ternational conference.  And  I  wish  to  emphazise  the  fact,  as  I  understand  some  one  looking 
nionMy  at  the  summarj'  of  this  report  has  misunderstood  it  —  that  any  endorsement  of  the 
plan  for  an  international  conference  on  the  cost  of  living  does  not  by  anj-  means  commit  this 
organization  to  approval  of  my  particular  suggestion  for  a  remedy.  {"Hear,  hear!")  It 
merely  commits  the  association  as  in  favor  of  having  the  discussion  of  this  and  all  the  other 
remedies  which  may  be  suggested. 

As  to  the  technical  working  out  of  the  plan  for  making  a  more  stable  dollar,  so  far  as  it 
is  not  fully  and  technically  expressed  in  this  report,  I  would  refer  you  to  the  closing  chapter  of 
my  book,  "The  Purchasing  Power  of  Money,"  or  for  a  still  more  technical  and  complete  ex- 
pression, to  the  typewritten  memoranda  here  which  I  have  especially  prepared  for  distribu- 
tion at  this  Congress  to  any  of  those  who  may  be  particularly  interested  in  this  vital  subject. 
And  any  of  you  who  take  the.se  memoranda  would  do  me  a  service  if  you  would  send  me  your 
name  and  address,  in  order  that  I  may  communicate  with  you  further. 

The  plan,  I  would  say,  if  I  may  add  one  word  about  my  own  particular  plan,  is  one  which 
does  not  involve  any  untried  elements.  It  merely  is  novel  in  that  it  brings  together  a  number 
of  elements,  every  one  of  which  has  been  tried  out  by  business  experience. 

Of  course  it  is  not  pretended  that  to  cure  a  variability  in  the  purchasing  power  of  the  dollar 
would  fully  solve  the  great  question  of  the  high  cost  of  living.  The  high  cost  of  living  is  a 
problem  of  the  purchasing  power  of  income,  and  therefore  involves  two  great  branches  — 
first,  the  purchasing  power  of  the  monetary  unit,  the  dollar,  the  franc,  the  mark,  the  pound 
sterling;  and  second,  the  number  of  such  units  in  the  incomes  of  the  people.  Both  of  these 
problems  merit  careful  consideration  by  an  international  inquirj-  on  the  subject.  It  is  not 
only  of  great  interest  to-day,  but  it  will  be  of  great  interest  in  the  future  if  the  prediction  which 
I  venture  to  make  with  considerable  confidence  comes  true  —  that  the  rising  tide  of  the  price 
level  will  continue  in  the  future.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  it  will  steadily  increase  year  after 
year;  on  the  contran,-,  I  believe  that  it  will  be  broken  before  manj-  years  by  a  crisis  more  or 
less  .severe.  But  I  do  mean  to  say  on  the  basis  of  a  careful  statistical  study  wliich  I  have 
recently  published  in  the  American  Economic  Review,  that  the  general  level  of  prices,  the 
general  trend  of  prices  for  a  number  of  years  in  the  future  will  be  upward  and  not  downward. 
No  one  nation  can  successfully  cope  with  this  great  subject;  it  is  too  big.  It  requires  an  in- 
ternational conference,  and  an  international  conference  will  surely  be  called  if  there  is  suffi- 
cient demand  ft)r  it;  and  the  demand  which  counts  most  with  legislatures  is  the  demand  of 
business  men.  And  it  is  for  that  rea.'^on  that  I  appeal  to  you  as  business  men  to  lend  your 
api)r<)V!il  to  the  plan  for  an  international  investigation  on  the  high  cost  of  living,  in  order 
that  this  great  subject  may  be  dealt  with  in  a  statesmanlike  and  a  businesslike  manner.  {Ap- 
■plaust.) 


I 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  277 

The  President:  Mr.  Kvnosi. 

Dr.  Edmund  Kunosi,  Assistant  Secretary  Royal  Hungarian  Ministry  of  Commerce;  Delegate  of 
Royal  Government  of  Hungary 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen,  in  the  name  of  the  National  Hungarian  Commercial  As- 
sociation I  submitted  to  the  Congress  a  projjosal  of  resolutions  and  a  report  on  the  same  on 
the  uniform  compilation  of  statistics  of  prices.  This  proi:)osition  was  printed  and  distributed 
among  the  members  of  the  Congress;  therefore,  I  will  not  trespass  on  your  time  by  repeating 
it.  I  for  my  part  accept  the  proposal  of  the  Reporter,  because  the  calling  of  an  international 
conference  on  this  question  is  necessarj-  for  the  realization  of  our  proposal  concerning  the  uni- 
form compilation  of  statistics  of  prices,  and  because  just  before  its  adjournment  the  Congress 
has  no  time  to  discuss  such  comi)licated  methods.  When  this  inteniational  conference  is  held 
I  shall  try  to  find  ojiport unity  to  submit  projwsals  to  it. 

An  English  Delegate:  Mr.  President,  I  would  like  to  ask  a  question.  Is  this  really  a 
question  atTecting  chambers  of  commerce?  Is  it  not  really  raising  a  political  question  with 
which  chambers  of  commerce  have  really  no  say? 

M.  le  President:  I^a  question  a  (5t6  mise  h  I'etude,  des  rapports  ont  dt6  pr^parees,  et  elle 
est  :\  Tonlrc  du  jour;  nous  suivons  notre  ordre  du  jour.  Vous  pouvez  avoir  votre  opinion  k 
ce  sujet,  mais  nous  devons  quand  mdme  coutinuer. 

{Translation) 

The  question  has  been  given  study,  reports  have  been  prepared,  and  it  is  in  the 
order  of  the  day;  we  follow  our  order  of  the  day.  You  may  have  j'our  opinion  on  the 
subject,  but  we  must  nevertheless  continue. 

Mr.  C.  H.  Canby,  Board  of  Trade,  Chicago,  Hlinois 

Only  one  moment,  gentlemen.  I  will  detain  you  but  one  moment.  The  professor  has  read 
from  the  brief  which  was  submitted  to  all  the  members  of  the  Congress  practically  his  argu- 
ment in  favor  of  the  international  conference  on  the  cost  of  living.  I  have  read  his  brief  with 
some  care,  and  I  do  not  find  anywhere  in  it  any  recognition  of  the  law  of  supply  and  demand. 
{"Hear,  hear!")  Those  of  us  who  have  been  closely  identified  with  the  handling  of  mer- 
chandise know  that  at  no  time  in  the  past,  not  now  and  at  no  time  in  the  fututre  will  a  dollar, 
a  franc,  a  mark  or  a  pound  sterling  ever  have  a  fixed  purchasing  power  for  more  than  the  one 
moment  before  you.  {"Hear,  hear!")  Every  merchant  in  the  world  is  changing  the  pur- 
chasing power  of  money  every  week.  And  how  is  he  doing  that?  You  have  a  stock  of  goods. 
Those  goods  you  offer  to-day  for  sale  at  a  certain  price.  Within  ten  days'  time  the  failure  of 
a  crop  from  which  those  goods  are  manufactured  has  changed  the  whole  price  level  of  that  one 
particular  commodity,  without  touching  any  one  of  another  thousand  commodities.  What  is 
the  merchant's  attitude?  Instantly  his  i)rice  is  marked  uj).  The  dollar,  the  pound  sterling, 
is  not  depreciated  as  a  purchasing  power  —  not  at  all;  but  in  this  particular  instance  he  asks 
a  higher  rate  for  his  goods. 

Now,  so  far  as  the  cost  of  living  in  the  United  States  is  concerned  —  and  that  is  the  only 
count r>-  of  which  I  have  any  close  i)ersonal  knowledge  —  I  assure  you  I  can  take  ever}'  article 
which  has  changed  in  value  in  the  last  ten  years  and  I  can  show  you  a  set  of  distinct,  definite 
reasons  why  that  price  level  has  changed.  The  people  of  the  United  States  are  becoming 
more  highly  educated  —  what  I  term  "the  people,"  by  which  we  mean  the  great  mass  of  the 
people  beneath  the  professional,  beneath  the  merchant  class;  the  great  mass  of  the  i)eople  are 
becoming  more  prosperous.  Labor  earns  more  for  a  day's  work  than  ever  before  in  this  land. 
They  demand  more  comforts  and  a  higher  grade  of  public  ser\ice.  The  municipalities  have 
increased  the  water  supplies,  the  number  of  schools,  the  parks  and  all  kinds  of  improved 


278  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

conditions  in  the  cities  in  which  people  live.  \Miat  is  the  result?  Municipal  taxation  has  in- 
creased, and  the  municipal  taxation  is  absorbed  in  the  rent  roll. 

Now,  there  is  one  item.  Take  the  other  great  item,  that  of  meat.  I  come  from  the  wes- 
tern country,  and  I  assure  you,  gentlemen,  that  it  is  simply  a  change  in  the  ratio  of  the  number 
of  con>tumcr8  to  the  number  of  animals.  That  is  all  there  is  to  the  meat  proposition.  {Ap- 
plause.) 

Now,  gentlemen,  there  has  been  a  great  deal  of  talk  about  the  high  cost  of  living  which 
is  based  on  an  incorrect  statement  of  facts  and  conception  of  the  situation.  You  can  buy  to- 
day on  one  of  the  streets  of  Boston  a  better  pair  of  shoos  for  $4  than  you  could  buy  in  1880. 

You  can  buy  a  barrel  of  flour  in  any  one  of  the  grocer}'  stores  of  the  city  of  Boston  to-day 
just  as  cheap  as  you  could  in  1885.  Now  the  people  are  more  extravagant,  and  furthermore 
—  I  will  say  it  myself,  because  I  can  look  back  to  my  boyhood  daj's  —  the  people  to-day 
haven't  got  the  thrift,  they  haven't  got  the  saving  instinct  that  our  fathers  had. 

The  President:  Professor  Taussig. 

Prof.  F.  W.  Taussig,  Harvard  University 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Conference,  the  sole  question  which  presents  itself 
to  this  gathering  on  this  topic  is  whether  we  shall  agree  that  this  is  a  matter  which  concerns 
not  one  countrj'  but  all  the  countries  of  the  civilized  world,  and  indeed  all  the  world.  We  are 
not  here  to  consider  questions  of  causes  or  of  remedies.  It  may  be  that  the  gentleman  who 
has  preceded  me  could  present  to  an  international  conference  a  full,  complete  and  exhaustive 
answer  to  all  the  questions  that  concern  themselves  with  the  cost  of  living.  If  so,  I  am  sure 
we  hope  he  \vill  do  .so  if  such  a  conference  is  called.  Some  of  us  believe  that  the  subject  is 
more  complicated  than  it  seems  to  him,  that  it  deserves  consideration  not  by  one  country  but 
by  all  the  countries.  We  believe  there  are  difficulties  more  particularly  with  reference  to  as- 
certaining just  what  the  situation  is.  The  admirable  report  which  has  been  presented  by  the 
National  Hungarian  Commercial  Association  suggests  certain  methods  of  compiling  price  sta- 
tistics to  be  adopted  uniformly  by  all  the  different  countries.  Those  methods  deserve  con- 
sideration because  we  do  not  now  know  what  is  the  extent  of  the  change,  —  whether  it  is 
greater  in  the  United  States  than  in  Germany,  whether  it  is  true,  as  some  people  think,  that 
it  is  greater  in  the  United  States  than  in  any  other  country'.  These  things  we  do  not  know. 
In  onler  to  gain  fair  and  full  light  upon  the  subject  we  need  an  international  understanding 
as  to  the  waj's  of  ascertaining  the  extent  of  the  phenomenon.  Therefore  it  seems  to  me  that 
this  gathering  can  verj-  well  say  "Let  us  take  the  initial  step  for  an  international  conference 
for  the  uniform  consideration  of  the  subject,  and  let  us  not  here  attempt  a  discussion  of  why, 
how,  how  much,  what  any  individual  understands  or  what  anj*  individual  proposes  to  do 
about  it."  I  hope  the  motion  in  favor  of  the  calling  of  an  international  conference  will  pre- 
vail.   (Applause.) 

The  President:  Mr.  Cook. 

Mr.  F.  W.  Cook,  Dudley  {England)  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen,  I  strongly  support  the  proposition  that  ha.s  been  made, 
that  an  International  Conference  be  called  on  this  question.  In  our  own  countrj-  a  large  dis- 
cu.ssion  has  been  taking  place  with  regard  to  the  question  of  tariffs,  and  the  boards  of  trade 
have  been  charge<l  with  the  duty  of  going  into  various  countries  and  trj'ing  to  ascertain  as 
far  as  possible  what  we  call  the  standard  of  living  or  the  prices  of  articles  in  the  various  coun- 
tries. And  the  great  factor  that  you  have  to  consider  is  that  you  have  a  mass  of  evidence  in 
front  of  you  gathered  from  various  sources  and  in  different  manners,  but  which  is  not  at  all 
comparable.     What  is  wanted  is  a  standard,  a  unit,  from  which  the  cost  of  living  can  be 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  279 

taken,  on  which  as  a  basis  all  j'our  arguments  can  take  place.  A  recent  speaker,  I  think  the 
speaker  before  the  last,  spoke  about  the  high  cost  of  living,  but  he  also  referred  to  the  high 
standard  of  living,  and  that  has  to  be  acknowledged  at  the  same  time.  I  think  certainly  his 
contribution  to  our  discussion  this  morning  deserves  some  consideration  from  that  point  of 
view.  It  is  not  what  we  get,  —  it  is  the  standard  of  our  living,  —  the  picture  palace,  if  you 
like  to  take  it,  which  is  a  necessity  of  the  working  man  of  to-day,  and  the  whole  range  of 
luxurj'  which  he  now  brings  into  his  standard  of  living.  And  I  think  in  any  statistics  that  are 
gathered  for  this  purpose  it  would  be  wise,  at  any  rate,  for  the  Conference  to  have  the  stand- 
ard of  living  in  front  of  them  as  well  as  the  high  cost  of  living. 

The  Professor  who  read  his  paper  spoke  about  the  question  of  the  dollar.  I  am  not  here 
to  speak  with  regard  to  the  question  of  the  gold  dollar,  because,  having  been  in  the  United 
States  many  times,  I  have  never  seen  one  yet,  and  I  have  always  found  the  price  of  a  green- 
li:iok  is  always  the  same.  So  it  seems  to  me  the  question  of  gold  is  solved  in  a  verj'  easy  man- 
ner, if  30U  abolish  it  and  use  paper  as  the  medium  of  exchange. 

And  another  matter  that  seems  to  strike  me  is  this :  That  the  tariff  is  certainly  a  ques- 
tion.  I  think  if  the  United  States  had  free  trade,  —  I  am  only  suggesting  my  own  view,  — 
something  might  be  accomplished. 

I  only  give  these  just  as  partial  suggestions  as  to  some  of  the  things  that  may  take  place. 
Hut  the  main  point  is  this,  —  that  in  any  International  Conference  not  only  should  they  con- 
sider the  unit  of  the  cost  of  living  in  the  various  countries,  but  they  should  also  consider  the 
mdard  of  living,  —  that  is,  the  requirements  of  the  ordinarj'  population,  what  they  con- 
.  ier  their  life. 

The  President:  Mr.  Filene. 

Mr.  E.  A.  Filene,  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce;  Vice-President  of  the  Congress 

I  had  not  intended  to  speak  on  this  question,  but  I  have  been  frightened  lest  the  elo- 
cjuence  of  my  friend  Mr.  Canby  may  have  undue  influence,  and  that  the  implication  of  the 
gentleman  on  the  left  that  this  was  not  a  business  question  might  also  have  undue  influence. 

Gentlemen,  there  is  no  more  important  business  question  than  this.  No  business  man 
can  succeed  unless  he  has  fairly  stable  conditions,  and  the  stable  conditions  are  largely  de- 
pendent on  the  stability  of  the  government  under  which  the  business  man  works.  Now,  gentle- 
men, I  submit  to  you  that  no  government  in  the  world,  be  it  republican  or  imperial,  whatever 
its  form,  is  safe  if  the  proletariat  finds  it  difficult  or  impo-ssible  to  get  food,  clothing  and 
shelter,  —  and  on  that  basis,  gentlemen,  I  submit  to  you  that  this  is  the  most  businesslike  of 
business  questions  and  deserves  to  be  studied  not  alone  for  that  reason  but  because  in  its 
solution  we  business  men  will  have  a  large  say.  If  it  seems  to  us  that  this  is  a  theoretical 
and  a  vague  question,  I  call  your  attention  to  what  is  happening  all  over  the  world.  In  order 
not  to  infringe  upon  other  countries,  the  sensitiveness  of  other  coimtries,  let  me  call  attention 
to  what  has  happened  in  this  country.  Within  five  years,  gentlemen,  these  questions,  which 
were  termed  vague,  unbusinesslike,  anarchistical,  if  you  please,  by  ven,"  many  men,  have 
come  from  that  undefined  realm  to  be  the  ver>'  questions  which  are  at  the  basis  of  the  plat- 
form of  our  poUtical  parties,  on  which  we  are  waging  our  presidential  election.  Now,  gentle- 
men, we  know  that  a  similar  thing  is  happening  in  all  countries  of  the  world.  Nothing,  I 
repeat  in  closing,  is  more  businesslike,  nothing  will  conserve  for  us  what  is  justly  due  to  us 
as  business  men  and  will  help  us  to  do  our  duties  to  our  country  more  than  to  make  sure  that 
the  great  mass  of  the  people  in  every  country  shall  get  all  our  help,  so  that  the  cost  of  living 
will  not  be  so  high  as  to  be  insupportable. 

M.  le  President:  Je  n'ai  plus  d'orateurs  inscrits,  et  je  m'excuse  si,  lors  de  la  discussion 
prcccdcntc,  certains  orateurs  n'ont  pas  eu  leur  tour  de  parole.  C'est,  6videmment,  qu'ils 
n'avaient  pas  ^t<5  inscrits.  C'est  tr^  involontairement  de  ma  part  si  quelques-uns  ont  6t6 
oublios. 


2^0  IXTERNATIOXAL    CONGRESS    OF 

I,;  ran.'iiiitK'rt ) 

I  have  no  more  speakers  on  my  list,  and  trust  I  shall  be  excused  if,  during  the 
discussion,  certain  speakers  have  not  had  a  chance  to  take  the  floor.  If  such  has  been 
the  case,  it  is  evidently  because  they  were  not  listed.  It  was  entirely  involuntar>'  on 
my  part  if  certain  speakers  have  been  overlooked. 

M.  Pierson:  Je  demande  la  parole. 

{Translalioti) 

I  ask  the  floor. 

M.  le  President:  M.  Pierson  a  la  parole. 

(Translation) 

Mr.  Pierson  has  the  floor. 

Mr.  J.  Pierson,  Member  of  the  Netherlands  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Paris 

Mr.  Chairman,  Gentlemen,  it  is  a  great  pleasure  to  rae  to  have  an  opportunity  to  sup- 
port the  proposal  of  Prof.  Irving  Fisher,  but  only  to  a  certain  e^ctent,  viz.,  as  far  as  it  con- 
cerns the  plan  for  an  international  inquiry  on  the  cost  of  living. 

A  well-known  European  economist  ha.s  said: 

"Le  meilleur  remdde  contre  la  chert<5  c'est  la  chert<?." 

The  best  remedy  against  the  rise  in  cost  of  living  is  the  rise  in  cost  of  living. 

The  actual  continual  rise  in  price  of  all  products  is  due  to  various  causes,  some  people 
attributing  it  to  the  greater  production  of  gold,  and  Professor  Fisher  seems  to  be  one  of  them. 
For  my  part  I  think  that  the  rise  is  mainly  due  to  the  higher  standard  of  living  and  the  greater 
requirements  of  all  clas.ses. 

At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  "Soci(5t6  d'ficonomie  Politique,"  a  French  economist  has  read 
a  paper  on  this  question,  and  it  results  from  his  investigations  that  there  are,  or  better  have 
been,  constant  waves  of  prices  going  up  and  going  down  at  ven.-  regular  intervals  and  for 
periods  of  several  years. 

We  have  now  a  few  j'cars  since  reached  the  bottom  of  one  of  these  waves  and  are  going 
up  again. 

As  in  various  countries  tliis  question  has  been  ver>'  seriously  discussed  bj-  the  most  emi- 
nent economists.  I  think  that  there  will  be  a  great  advantage  to  bring  these  economists  to- 
gether in  an  international  congress  and  "du  choc  des  idees  jaillira  la  v6rit(5." 

There  is  one  thing,  however,  against  which  I  wi.sh  to  warn.  It  would  be  a  great  danger 
for  the  cause  of  free  trade,  which,  notwithstanding  the  protectionist  tendency  of  the  whole 
world,  will  have  to  come  to  the  front  again  (I  am  thoroughly  and  firmly  convinced  of  it),  to 
attribute  the  rise  in  prices  to  protectionism.  This,  however,  does  not  say  that  free  intercourse 
lietween  nations  will  not  reduce  prices.  Free  intercourse  will  enlarge  the  field.  The  larger 
the  field,  the  greater  will  be  the  development  of  division  of  labor,  and  the  more  intense  the 
division  of  labor  will  be  the  lower  will  be  the  cost  of  commodities  produced,  the  greater  will 
be  the  number  of  people  that  will  see  the  prices  of  commodities  come  within  the  reach  of 
thoir  purchasing  i)ower. 

As  the  greeting,  kindly  sent  to  us  by  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  requested  our 
endeavors  to  get  a  better  knowledge  of  international  economic  conditions  and  problems,  I 
think  the  proposal  of  Professor  Fisher  must  have  the  full  support  of  this  Congress  as  far  as 
regards  the  International  Congress  for  examination  of  the  causes  of  the  high  cost  of  living. 

But  let  me  expreas  a  wish  and  permit  me  to  say  that  I  hope  that  this  question  of  reduc- 
tion of  the  cost  of  production  will  also  be  examined  from  the  standpoint  of  a  freer  intercourse 
between  nations  so  as  to  come  to  a  more  stable  basis  for  intercourse  than  is  now  ruling  with 
the  absence  of  commercial  treaties. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  281 

M.  le  President:  Messieurs,  il  u'y  a  plus  d'orateura  inscrits,  je  vais  mettre  aux  voix  lea 
resolutions.    Les  voici  en  fran^ais: 

{Translation) 

Gentlemen,  there  are  no  more  speakers  on  the  list.    I  will  put  the  resolutions  to  a 
vote.     Here  they  are  in  French: 

Le  congr6s  approuve  hv  proposition  de  reunir  une  conference  intemationalc  au  sujet  du 
prix  eleve  des  choses  necessaires  i\  la  vie,  ile  son  augmentation,  de  ses  causes,  des  effets  qui  en 
resultent,  des  mesures  et  remedes  possibles  en  vue  d'unc  amelioration. 

Lc  congres  transmet  le  projet  et  le  rajiport  de  I'Association  nationale  commerciale  Hon- 
groise  pour  la  compilation  hanuonique  de  Ja  statist ique  des  prix  au  comit6  permanent,  en 
vue  de  sa  prise  en  consideration  et  de  sa  remise  C'ventuelle  i\  une  conference  internationale. 

(The  resolution  in  English) 

Tlie  Congress  approves  the  proposition  of  convoking  an  International  Congress  on  the 
question  of  the  high  cost  of  living,  its  increase,  its  causes,  its  results  and  the  measures  and  reme- 
dies possible  to  improve  the  situation. 

The  Congress  transmits  the  project  and  the  report  of  the  Hungarian  National  Commercial 
Association,  for  the  uniform  compilation  of  statistics  of  prices,  to  the  Permanent  Committee, 
with  the  view  of  its  taking  it  into  consideration  and  referring  it  eventually  to  an  international 
conference. 

{The  resolution  in  German) 

Der  KongreC  billigt  den  Vorschlag  einer  internationalen  Konferenz  iiber  die  Teuerung, 
ihren  Umfang,  die  Methoden  sie  festzustellen,  ihre  Ursachen  und  Wirkungen  und  die  mog- 
lichon  MalJregeln  fiir  Abhilfe. 

Ucr  KongreO  beschlie(5t,  die  Resolution  und  den  Bericht  des  Nationalen  Ungarischen 
Handelsvereins  uber  eine  gleichmilBige  Preis-Statistik  dem  stiindigen  Komitoe  zu  liberweisen, 
damit  es  sie  erwiige  und  einer  etwa  zu  berufenden  internationalen  Konferenz  unterbreite. 

Que  ceux  qui  sont  d'avis  d'adopter  ces  propositions  veuillent  bien  lever  la  main.  {Levie 
de  mains.)    L'^preuve  contraire.    Le  congres  adopte  h.  I'unanimite. 

{Translation) 

Those  in  favor  of  adopting  these  propositions  will  raise  the  hand.    {Hands  raised.) 
Contrary  minded.     The  Congress  adopts  the  resolutions  unanimously. 


INTERNATIONAL   ARBITRATION 

M.  le  President:  Maintenant,  messieurs,  avant  de  terminer  notre  ordre  du  jour,  avant 
de  parler  de  I'endroit  du  prochain  congres,  avant  d'adresser  ii  tons  les  remerciements  que  j'ai 
ii  CGCur  de  vous  adresscr,  j'ai  une  proposition  h.  vous  faire.  Je  vous  fais  cette  jiroposition, 
messieurs,  non  pas  tant  comme  presitlent  officiel  que  comme  I'un  des  deiegutls  du  congrds 
venu  d' Europe,  parlant  en  son  nom  et  au  nom  de  nombreux  congressistes  desireux  de  donner 
aux  congressistes  d'Am^rique  la  satisfaction  qu'ils  attendent,  et  que  nous  leur  avons  d'ailleurs 
toujours  roservee  au  sujet  de  leurs  d^sirs  ii  pro[)os  des  questions  d'arbitrage. 

Jusqu'ii  present,  les  congres  ont  6X6  conduits  en  fran^ais,  et  en  Europe,  quand  le  frangais 
est  parie,  il  est  compris  par  la  majority  des  auditeurs.  II  n'en  est  pas  de  mfime  ici,  et  c'eat 
evidemment  ^  cau.se  de  ce  fait  que  certains  malentendus,  que  je  vais  effacer  compldtement, 
8oyez-en  sAr,  ont  pu  se  produire.  J'ai  tenu  jusqu'^  present  A  parler  fran^ais,  mais  tantdt  je 
m'exprimerai  en  anglais,  mon  anglais  H  moi.  II  n'est  peut-^tre  pas  tr6s  bon,  mais  je  le  parle 
moi-meme. 

Eh  bien!  messieurs,  dans  cette  grande  question  de  I'arbitrage,  vous  avez,  il  y  a  deux 
jours,  adopts  les  conclusions  du  rapport  prepare  sur  les  difierenda  entres  particuliers  et  £tat8. 


284  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

"3.  An  international  campaign  is  nectled  against  medieval  feudalism  which  has,  within 
recent  ye'an*.  grown  aggressive  beyond  all  reju«onable  limits.  It  is  not  merely  a  question  of 
national  defense,  but  the  larger  pro[)osition  of  international  defense,  which  claims  attention. 

"Theofficijil  world  should  be  mfonne<l  by  the  representatives  appointed  by  the  several 
governments  atten<ling  this  Congress  that  it  must  adjust  itself  to  the  requirements  of  inter- 
national life,  and  abandon  the  minor  conceptions  of  provincial  poUtics. 

"Ml.  Commercial  men  realize  to  the  full  the  limitations  of  pohticians  and  diplomatists, 
anil  that  if  is  for  the  commercial  world  to  take  its  destinies  into  its  own  hands  and  do  their 
thinking  for  themselves  as  to  the  problems  of  to-day,  including  the  organization  of  peace,  of 
which  commercial  arbitration  is  an  integral  and  not  the  letust  part.  Indeed,  it  may  be  claimed 
that  commercial  jirbitration  constitutes  the  foremost  plank  in  the  platform  of  world-wide  peace 
and  solidaritv. 

"It  is  claimed  that  the  interests  of  commerce,  which  provide  so  great  a  proportion  of 
taxation,  are  neglected  by  the  official  world  save  wiiere  taxation  is  affected.  In  the  future, 
ministries  of  commerce,  conuncnsurately  staffed  on  a  scale  equal  at  leaiit  to  that  assigned  to 
other  inmi'-tries.  should  exercise  controlling  power  in  all  countries. 

••  4.  That  the  princijiKs  of  Elficiency  Engineering  recently  introduced  into  the  universities 
of  the  United  States,  for  systematizing  i)Iant  and  the  machinery  of  business  and  getting  the 
most  out  of  everything,  should  be  exercised  by  the  ministries  of  commerce  in  the  future  to  the 
advancement  of  commerce  and  industry,  and  the  upbuilding  of  the  common  weal. 

"5.  That  conferences  such  as  that  of  this  association  .serve  to  epitomize  the  well-considered 
judgnn-nt  of  the  conunercial  world,  and  consistency  requires  that  the  principles  approved  by 
the  accredited  representatives  of  the  commercial  countries  represented  should  regulate  the 
future  action  of  such  constituent  States." 

Sir,  I  thank  you  for  the  opportunity  to  submit  these  propositions  in  sujiport  of  your 
resolutions.     (Applause.) 

Mr.  Jacob  Heilborn,  London  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mr.  President,  you  have  so  ably  pre.sented  the  resolution  in  French  and  English  to  this 
Congre.>;s  that  I  believe  everj-  member  imdcrstands  it.  Sir  John  E.  Bingham  is  here.  You 
have  a«ked  for  a  second  to  that  resolution.  I  move  that  Sir  John  Bingham  be  now  given  the 
floor  to  second  that  resolution. 

The  President:  The  consul  general  of  Japan  has  asked  the  floor  to  speak  on  this  sub- 
ject in  a  letter  which  I  have  received  from  him.    However,  he  docs  not  respond.    Sir  John 

E.    BlNGH.\M. 


Sir  John  E.  Bingham,  Bart.,  London  Chamber  of  Commerce 

Mr.  President,  after  your  eloquent  expressions  on  this  subject  I  shall  be  brief.  I  am 
proud  that  you  have  taken  up  this  subject  as  you  have.  I  think  it  is  the  apex,  I  might  almost 
say,  of  this  great  meeting.  I  think  it  should  be,  as  it  were,  written  in  letters  of  gold,  that  we 
are  all  in  this  Congress,  a  combination  of  the  nations  of  the  world  met  here  together,  of  one 
mind  that  when  and  where  possible  we  should  endeavor  to  prevent  the  atrocities  of  war. 
{"Hear,  hear!"  and  applause.) 

I  was  prepared,  gentlemen,  —  but  it  turned  out  not  to  be  in  order  —  to  send  forward 
this  resolution  myself.  In  that  I  was  supported  by  the  concert  of  the  London  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  al^o  of  my  native  city  of  Sheffield.  But  I  am  prouder  still  that  I  do  not  bring 
forward  this  resolution,  but  that  the  President  himself  has  brought  it  for\vard  and  has  honored 
this  convention  by  making  it  a  resolution  from  his  own  lij)s.     {Applause.) 

I  hope,  and  1  know,  that  all  of  you  gentlemen  here  present  at  this  conference  will  exer- 
cise all  over  the  world,  in  the  countries  which  you  represent,  that  power  which  you  have  anil 
which  it  is  to  your  interest,  as  representing  the  commercial  interests  of  the  world,  more  than 
to  the  interests  of  others,  to  exercise;  for  a  war  between  two  great  nations  might  set  back  the 
commerce  of  the  world  for  fifty  years  or  more.  Therefore,  it  is  to  your  interest  to  support, 
to  back  the  resolution  of  our  President  and  to  give  bon  voyage  to  the  resolution.    {Applause.) 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  285 

Mr.  Frank  D.  La  Lanne,  Philadelphia  Board  of  Trade 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen,  I  cons-ider  it  a  distinguished  honor  to  be  pennitteil  to 
address  you  in  the  closing  minutes  of  this  session.  I  think  we  should  all  feel  highly  gratified 
that  this  principle,  so  near  to  the  heart  of  ever>'  delegate  from  everj'  nation,  sliould  have  been 
recognized  by  our  distinguished  President,  and  that  he  himself  should  have  brought  in  this 
resolution,  which  I  have  high  honor  in  seconding. 

I  represent  the  United  States  Government,  and  I  have  received  two  letters  from  the 
Department  of  State,  of  which  I  will  give  a  synopsis. 

To-tlay  more  than  ever  the  executive  of  the  world  is  public  opinion,  and  the  nations  of 
the  world  cannot  disregard  the  words  of  a  great  Congress  like  this,  which  represents  the  sen- 
timents of  all  the  business  world.  Your  decision  to-ilay  to  ajjprove  of  this  principle  will  be 
known  in  every  chancellery  of  the  world  to-night,  and  I  sincerely  hope,  gentlemen,  that  we 
are  a  unit  in  the  thought  that  the  continuity  of  the  business  interests  of  the  workl  demand 
that  there  shall  be  an  arbitral  court  of  justice  to  prevent  future  wars,  which  destroj-  our 
lives  commerciallj-. 

The  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States,  whom  I  represent,  the  Hon.  Philander  C. 
Knox,  directs  me  to  say  that  the  responses  to  his  note  along  this  identical  line,  sent  out  a  few 
months  ago  as  a  circular  note  to  all  the  nations  of  the  world,  manifest  such  a  willingness  and 
desire  on  the  part  of  the  leading  nations  to  constitute  a  court  of  arbitral  justice,  that  he  be- 
lieves a  permanent  court,  of  purely  judicial  arbitral  responsibility,  composed  of  judges  acting 
with  a  sense  of  their  responsibility  and  representing  the  various  nations,  will  be  established 
in  the  ver>'  near  future.  The  assent  and  approval  of  this  Congress  will  be  highly  appreciated 
by  my  government. 

Gentlemen,  I  thank  you. 

M.  le  President:  M.  Shonixger  a  demande  la  parole. 

{Transla(ioti) 

Mr.  Shoninger  has  asked  the  floor. 


Mr.  Bernard  J.  Shoninger,  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Paris 

Mr.  Presiilent  anil  Gentlemen,  my  desire  to  remove  a  misunderstanding  having  become, 
unwittingly  as  well  as  unwillingly  on  my  part,  the  point  of  departure  for  rather  unexampled 
behavior  on  the  jiart  of  some  one  else  later,  I  think  it  now  behooves  me  to  express  myself  and 
to  say  how  much  satisfaction  and  how  much  extreme  plea.sure  it  gives  me  that  the  President 
himself  should  have  taken  the  initiative,  of  which  you  see  the  result  in  these  resolutions. 
{Applause.) 

Owing  to  the  experience  we  have  had  in  connection  with  this  matter,  it  has  been  sug- 
gested by  a  number  of  the  delegates,  my  colleagues,  that  a  word  might  be  said  at  this  point. 
This  matter  is  to  be  submitted  for  future  consideration,  and  I  beg  leave  to  read  these,  so  that 
they  can  be  put  upon  the  oriler  of  business  for  another  Congress.  In  the  light  of  experience 
at  this  Congress,  and  to  avoid  misunderstandings  and  disappointments  in  the  future,  we  will 
submit  the  following  propositions  for  study  and  consideration:  ''All  papers"  — 

Mr.  F.  W.  Cook,  J.  P.  (Dudley,  England):  Mr.  President,  is  this  in  order  before  the 
resolution  is  put?    I  rise  to  a  point  of  order;  we  have  business  pending  before  the  body 

Mr.  Shoninger:  I  am  coming  to  it. 

The  President:  \\\\\  you  finish  in  a  minute? 

Mr.  Shoninger:  This  will  take  two  minutes. 


286  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Sir  Joseph  Lawrence:  I  move  that  the  first  resolution  be  put  to  the  meeting. 

Mr.  Sboninger:  If  you  will  permit  me,  I  will  afterwards  take  the  floor,  because  my 
intention  wjus  merely  to  saj'  a  word  because  of  my  innocence  in  having  — 

Sir  Joseph  Lawrence:  The  resolution  first.     {Crie^  of  "Vole!  Question!") 

Mr.  Shoninger:  Take  the  vote  and  then  the  matter  can  be  explained  further. 

The  President:  I  Imvt^  ji  final  request  from  a  delegate  from  China,  Dr.  Chin-tao  Chen. 
Is  he  here? 

Dr.  Chin-tao  Chen,  M.S.:  I  want  to  speak  on  another  question  which  will  come  after 
this  motion  is  disposed  of. 

M.  le  President:  Jo  vous  propose  maintenant  le  vote  de  la  resolution  dont  je  vais  donner 
lecture  dan.s  les  trois  langucs. 

Ceux  qui  sont  d'avis  d'adopter  la  resolution  voudront  bien  lever  la  main.  {Levie  de 
mains.)    LYpreuve  contraire.     (Personne  ne  Veve  la  main.) 

{Cris  de  "Hip!  Hip!  Hourrah!  Hip!  Hip!  Hourrah!"     Applaudissementa.) 

{TransUUion) 

I  will  now  present  to  you  for  vote  the  resolution  which  I  will  have  read  in  the  three 
languages.    {Resolution  read  in  three  languages.) 

Those  in  favor  of  adopting  the  resolution  will  please  raise  their  hands.  (Raising  of 
hands.)    Those  opposed.    {No  hands  raised.) 

(Cheers  ami  applause.) 


INVITATIONS    FOR    THE    NEXT    CONGRESS 

M.  le  President:  Maintenant,  messieurs,  en  tcrminant  nos  travaux,  je  dois  vous  donner 
connaissance  dcs  invitations  qui  nous  sont  parvenues  pour  le  prochain  congress. 

(Translation) 

Now,  Gentlemen,  in  closing  our  labors  I  wish  to  advise  you  of  the  invitations,  which 
have  come  to  us  for  the  next  Congress. 

(Continuing  in  English) 

Our  next  meeting  will  be  held  in  two  years.  We  have  received  an  invitation  from 
Barcelona,  Spain,  from  Geneva,  Switzerland,  from  Amsterdam,  Holland,  from  Monaco 
(laughter),  from  Leipzig,  Germany,  and  from  Li.sbon,  Portugal.  As  a  rule,  the  choice  of  the 
next  place  for  the  session  is  given  to  the  Permanent  Committee.  I  suppose,  as  wo  have  so 
many  invitations,  it  would  be  a  good  thing  at  this  time  to  leave  the  question  in  the  hands 
of  the  Permanont  Committee  to  decide.    Do  you  agree? 

(There  being  no  dissent,  it  was  decided  to  leave  the  choice  of  the  next  place  for  meeting  to 
the  Permanent  Committee.) 

Mr.  Filene:  Gentlemen,  we  have  an  invitation  from  the  merchants  of  St.  Louis,  that 
all  (iclcgates  may  come  to  visit  them.  They  assure  you  a  good  time.  You  will  find  it  printed 
in  full  in  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  News  to-morrow. 

(The  telegram  referred  to  vxis  as  follows:) 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  287 

St.  Locis,  Sept.  25,  1912. 
Mr.  Alfred  Aslett, 

Chambers  of  Commerce,  Boston,  Mass. 

St.  Loui.s  has  extended  a  cordial  invitation  to  menibcns  of  the  Congress  to  visit  St.  Louis, 
and  our  Hu.sinc.s3  Men's  League  will  most  heartily  entertain  whatever  number  of  representa- 
tives visit  us.  I  trust  to  greet  you  and  all  the  friends  of  the  Cami)ania  and  all  others  who  will 
accomj)any  j'ou.  Plea.se  see  that  the  members  of  the  Congress  are  made  aware  of  the  invitation. 
\\'ire  answer  at  my  expense,  care  the  Business  Men's  League. 

(Sigrmi)  Goodman  King. 

M.  le  F*resident:  ^L  L.\z.\rd  a  la  parole  pour  unc  motion  d'ordre. 

(Translatiort) 

Mr.  L.\ZARD  has  the  floor  for  a  point  of  order. 


CONTRIBUTION  FOR  THE  POOR  OF  BOSTON 

Mt.  Louis  Laz&rd,  Chamber  of  Camynerce,  Brussels:  Since  we  landed  in  the  beautiful  city 
of  Boston  we  have  been  most  cordially  received.  Our  hosts,  who  are  full  of  verve  and  charm, 
have  managed  for  the  delegates  the  most  wonderful  reception.  {Applause.)  All  of  us  appre- 
ciate ver>-  highly  their  kindness  and  their  attentions.  Although  knowing  well  the  American 
hospitality,  the  way  we  have  been  treated  is  above  all  expectation.  ("Hear,  hear!")  And 
how  can  we  foreigners  return  the  courtesies  extended  to  us?  It  is  too  late  now  to  organize 
a  banquet.  The  Brussels  delegation,  on  behalf  of  which  I  am  speaking,  wants  to  suggest  that 
the  visiting  members  of  the  Congress  open  a  subscription,  the  full  amount  of  which  would 
be  turned  over  to  the  Honorable  Mayor  for  the  poor  of  Boston.  (Applause.)  Thus  doing, 
we  should  ally  charity  to  thankfulness,  and  I  hope  our  Boston  friends  would  appreciate  our 
donation.  If  our  proposition  goes  through  —  as  I  sincerely  hope  and  expect  —  I  should 
suggest  that  the  Committee  make  the  necessary  arrangements  for  collecting  the  contribution 
—  the  amount  of  which,  in  our  opinion,  should  be  fi.\ed  at  So  each.      (Applause.) 

M.  le  F*resident:  Je  prie,  pour  notification,  ceux  d'entre  vous  qui  voudront  bien  se  rendre 
k  I'invitation  de  ^L  Lazard,  de  s'adresser  au  secretaire.  II  est  clair  que  nous  ne  pouvons 
obliger  personne. 

(Translation) 

As  a  matter  of  information,  I  would  like  to  ask  those  of  you  who  wish  to  accept 
the  invitation  of  Mr.  Lazard  to  advise  the  Secretary.  It  is  clear  that  we  cannot 
oblige  any  one  to  do  this. 


TERMINATION  OF  THE  SESSION 

M.  le  President:  Maintenant,  messieurs,  je  me  16ve  pour  terminer  la  session  et  pour 
adresser  i\  tous  les  remerciements  auxquels  ils  ont  droit. 

Je  rcmercie  tout  d'abord  le  president  des  £tats-Unis,  M.  Taft,  qui  nous  fait  I'honneur 
ce  .soir,  d'etre  prdsent  au  banquet  de  cloture. 

Je  rcmercie  les  autorit<5s  de  I'f^tat  du  Ma.ssachusetts,  en  la  personne  du  gouvemeur,  que 
nous  avons  H6  heureux  de  rencontrer;  et  la  cit^  de  Boston,  en  la  personne  de  son  maire,  que 
nous  avons  pu  appr(5cier  dcpuis  notre  arriv6e  ii  Boston. 

Je  rcmercie  tous  les  d616gu<^3  officiels  des  gouvememcnts,  qui  ont  bien  voulu  par  leur 
presence  rchau.sser  I'^clat  de  cette  cc^r^monie  intemationale  et  mondiale. 

Je  rcmercie,  messieurs,  tout  sp^cialemcnt  la  Chambrc  de  commerce  de  Boston.     Pour 


288  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

elk',  je  I'ai  dit  d6'}^  et  jc  me  propose  de  la  redire  ce  soir,  nous  n'avons  pas  de  mots  suflBsants 
pour  exprimer  nos  sentiments. 

Je  n-inercie  au-ssi  les  industriels  qui  nous  re<;oivent,  qui  nous  ouvrent  toutes  larges  Ics 
portes  de  leurs  usines  et  qui  nous  montreront  les  merveilles  de  rindustrie  et  de  la  science 
ami/ricaines. 

Je  remercie,  messieurs,  tous  les  clubs  de  la  ville,  qui  nous  ont  si  agnSablement  donn6  le 
libre  accds  de  leurs  looaux. 

Nous  nous  sentons  absolument  chez  nous  et  nous  emporterons  de  Boston  un  souvenir 
incffa<;:ible. 

Eniin,  last  but  not  least,  je  remercie  la  presse,  les  joumalistes,  ces  travailleurs  de  tous  les 
instants,  qui  ont,  eux,  le  hard  labor,  alors  que  nous,  nous  sommes  en  banquets  et  en  rc'jouis- 
sance.  Je  reconnais  tout  leur  zdle.  Et  k  vous  tous,  au  nom  des  d61(5gu(5s  venus  de  tous  les 
coins  du  monde  pour  assister  i  ce  merveilleux  congres  de  Boston,  de  tout  mon  coeur,  je  vous 
dis:  merci. 

{Tranlalion) 

Now,  Gentlemen,  I  ri.'se  to  close  the  session  and  to  express  to  all  the  thanks  to  which 
they  are  entitled. 

I  thank  first  of  all  the  President  of  the  United  States,  Mr.  Taft,  who  will  do  us  the 
honor  this  evening  to  be  present  at  our  closing  banquet. 

I  thank  the  authorities  of  the  State  of  Ma.ssachusetts  in  the  person  of  the 
Governor,  whom  we  have  been  delighted  to  meet;  and  the  City  of  Bo;<ton  in  the  person 
of  its  Mayor,  whom  we  have  learned  to  appreciate  since  our  arrival  in  Boston. 

I  thank  all  the  official  delegates  of  the  government.'?,  who  have  by  their  presence 
heightenetl  the  brilliancj-  of  this  international  and  world-wide  ceremony. 

I  thank,  gentlemen,  most  particularly,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Boston.  As  I 
have  already  said  and  as  I  propo.se  to  repeat  this  evening,  we  can  find  no  words  suflBcient 
to  express  our  sentiments. 

I  thank  also  the  manufacturers  who  welcome  us,  who  open  wide  to  us  the  doors  of 
their  establishments  and  will  di.splay  to  us  the  marvels  of  American  industry  and  science. 

I  thank,  gentlemen,  all  the  clubs  of  the  city  who  have  so  kindly  given  us  the  liberty 
of  their  houses. 

We  feel  ourselves  absolutely  at  home,  and  we  shall  earn*-  away  indelible  memories 
of  Boston. 

Finally,  "la.st  but  not  least,"  I  thank  the  press,  the  journalists,  these  unceasing 
workers  who  have  for  their  part  the  "hard  labor"  while  we  ourselves  are  at  the  banquets 
and  entertainments.  I  appreciate  their  zeal.  And  to  you  all,  in  the  name  of  the 
delegates  gathered  from  all  the  comers  of  the  world  to  attend  this  wonderful  Congress 
of  Boston,  with  all  my  heart  I  say:  I  thank  you. 

Mr.  Filene:  One  moment,  gentlemen,  please  —  Sir  Joseph  Lawrence.    {Applause.) 

Sir  Joseph  Lawrence:  Gentlemen,  on  behalf  and  in  the  name  of  you  all  I  must,  in  the 
name  of  the  London  Chamber  of  Commerce,  probably  the  oldest  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  the 
world,  propose  a  cordial  vote  of  thanks  to  our  distinguished  President,  M.  Canon-Legrand, 
and  to  thank  him  for  the  dignity  and  efficiency  with  which  he  has  conducted  the  proceedings. 

As  a  fonner  member  mj-self  of  the  British  Hou.se  of  Commons  I  have  winced  sometimes 
under  the  nilings  of  the  Speaker  of  my  own  House.  Many  of  us  have  winced  under  his  rulings, 
but  we  have  always  recognized  at  the  end  of  a  session  not  only  his  general  courtesy  but  his  ab- 
solute impartiality  and  fairness.  In  that  sense,  gentlemen,  whatever  ripples  may  have  passed 
over  the  surface  of  our  i)roceedings,  we  all  recognize  that  the  President  of  the  gathering,  this 
world-wide  Congress,  has  endeavored  to  conduct  the  proceedings  for  the  best  efficiency  of 
all  concerned.    {"Hear,  hear!"  and  applause.) 

In  that  spirit  of  thankfulness,  I  ask  you  to  join  with  me  in  according  him  your  heartiest 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  289 

thanks  for  tho  way  in  which  he  has  presided  o\'er  the  proceedings  of  this  conference.  I  do  not 
think  that  that  needs  really  to  be  put  in  the  form  of  a  motion.  It  hardU'  needs  to  be  seconded. 
If  you  should  agree  with  the  spirit  of  the  motion  — 

Mr.  Filene:  It  is  going  to  be  seconded  by  Mr.  Shoninger,  in  a  moment,  and  then  the 
motion  can  he  put. 

Mr.  Shoninger:  Mr.  President,  as  president  of  the  American  Chamber  of  Commerce  in 
France,  representing  American  and  also  French  interests,  I  heartily  .second  the  motion  which 
has  now  been  made.  I  will  leave  it  to  Sir  Joseph  Lawrence  to  take  the  vote,  which  I  know 
must  be  unanimous  on  the  subject.    (Applause.) 

Sir  Joseph  Lawrence:  Gentlemen,  those  of  you  who  are  in  favor  of  that  motion  will 
signify  the  same  by  acclamation. 

(The  motion  u-as  unanimoushj  carried  by  acclamation,  amid  applause.) 

Mr.  H.  Z.  Osborne  (Los  Angeles):  Mr.  President  and  Members  of  the  Congress,  speaking 
as  a  delegate  from  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  City  of  Los  Angeles,  of  which  I  have 
the  honor  to  be  president,  but  speaking  still  more  for  that  great  organization  of  survivors  of 
the  great  Civil  War  of  fifty  years  ago,  of  which  organization  I  have  the  honor  to  be  the  second 
officer,  I  wish  to  say  that  the  action  of  this  Congress  taken  this  day  meets  with  the  hearty 
approval  of  the  500,000  survivors  of  the  Civil  War  of  186 1-1865,  who  knew  full  well  all  the 
horrors  of  war.  Gentlemen,  on  their  behalf  I  thank  you  for  this  expression  in  favor  of  univer- 
sal peace.    (Applause.) 

M.  le  President:  La  stance  est  levee. 

(Translation) 

The  session  is  ended. 

The  President  declared  the  Congress  adjourned  at  1.20  p.m. 


^\)t  IBanquet 


ADDRESS   OF  JOSEPH   B.  RUSSELL 
President  of  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

This  is  a  day  of  great  happiness  to  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce.  To-night  it  sees 
as  its  guests,  not  only  the  many  distinguished  gentlemen  who  have  gathered  together  from 
the  four  comers  of  the  earth  as  delegates  to  the  Fifth  International  Congress  of  Chambers 
of  Commerce  of  the  world,  but  also  the  noted  men  who  have  come  here  to  join  with  us  in  ex- 
tending a  warm  welcome  and  hearty  greetings  to  our  friends.  We  cordially  welcome  these 
delegates  to  our  city,  and  to  all  that  our  Chamber  affords.  They  truly  represent  all  that  is 
foremost  and  best  in  commercial  activities  —  and  commercial  activities  are  no  longer  con- 
fined to  the  narrow  realm  which  marked  the  past.  To-day  the  grave  questions  which  have 
occupied  jour  attention,  the  broadest  and  most  far-reaching,  and  such  great  questions  as 
that  of  conservation  —  and  I  do  not  mean  the  mere  conservation  of  mines,  of  forests  and 
of  forest  streams,  but  all  that  pertains  to  the  conservation  of  human  life,  of  human  health 
and  human  energy  —  are  regarded  as  of  supreme  importance  in  all  commercial  bodies. 

Gentlemen,  for  some  two  years  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce  has  worked  with  zeal 
and  industry,  first,  to  bring  to  our  city  this  distinguished  body  of  men;  and  when  the  news 
reached  us  that  Boston  was  chosen  for  the  meeting  place  for  this  Congress,  then  began  our 
more  serious  task  to  leave  no  stone  unturned  to  make  this  Fifth  Congress  ever  remembered 
by  all  participating  in  its  deliberations  as  the  most  noted  meeting  in  all  its  successful  career. 
How  far  we  have  fallen  short  in  our  high  ambition  we  must  leave  to  others,  but  this  was  our 
wish,  this  was  our  hope,  and  the  extent  of  our  failure,  whatever  it  may  be,  but  marks  our 
lack  of  knowledge  and  experience.  Our  heart  and  soul  were  in  it,  and  in  all  ways  and  from 
all  directions  we  received  that  prompt  and  willing  help  which  we  had  a  right  to  expect  from 
a  generous  community  anxious  to  honor  our  noted  guests,  and  to  do  credit  to  our  own  fair 
city. 

It  is  a  great  gratification  to  have  with  us  to-night  the  Nation's  President  to  bring  to  you 
the  Nation's  greeting.  (Applause.)  For  the  lofty  office  which  he  so  well  fills  we  all  have  the 
most  profound  respect,  and  whatever  may  be  our  party  tics  or  political  faith,  the  one  who 
to-day  occupies  that  high  position  has  personally  our  admiration  and  esteem.  No  matter 
how  strenuous  may  seem  our  present  political  struggle,  I  believe  that  all  rea.sonable  men 
do  surely  recognize  in  him  the  high-minded  statesman,  who  has  weighed  the  many  and  intri- 
cate problems  of  government  which  have  come  before  him,  by  the  standard  of  highest  in- 
tegrity and  truest  sincerity  alone.    (Applause.) 

I  present  to  you  the  President  of  the  United  States.    (Great  applause.) 

ADDRESS   OF    HONORABLE   WILLIAM   H.  TAFT 
President  of  the  United  States  of  America 

Mr.  Chairman,  Delegates  to  the  International  Convention  of  Chambers  of  Commerce: 

On  behalf  of  the  people,  the  Government  and  the  Congress  of  the  I'nited  States  I  bid  you 
welcome.  (Apjtlause.)  After  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Boston  had  secured  the  meeting 
of  this  International  Convention  in  this  city,  then,  with  that  generosity  that  distinguishes 

291 


292  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Congress  (laughter),  it  passed  a  resolution  requesting  me  to  extend  a  cordial  invitation  to  the 
chambers  of  commerce  of  the  world  through  their  governments,  and  having  extended  the 
invitation  and  secured  the  acceptance,  it  referred  the  matter  to  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of 
the  City  of  Boston  with  power  to  act.  {Prolonged  laughter.)  And  I  need  not  say  to  you,  my 
fellow  guests,  that  the  reference  was  to  a  body  competent  to  meet  the  obligations  of  hospi- 
tality.    (Cheers.) 

There  are  a  number  of  results  that  I  am  sure  will  follow  this  symbolic  gathering  of  the 
nerves  of  tratlc  from  the  world  over.  We  think  we  know  a  good  deal  in  the  United  States 
about  everj-thing  (laughter),  and  one  of  the  happy  things  in  the  future  is  the  number  of  sur- 
prises that  are  in  store  for  us  upon  that  particular  subject.  (Renewed  laughter.)  And  one  of 
the  good  results  to  which  I  have  referred,  I  hope,  is  the  influence  which  this  convention  will 
have  ujwn  the  responsible,  governmental  authorities  and  the  people  of  the  United  States  in 
convincing  them  of  the  necessity  of  associating  in  their  govermnental  methods  and  in  finding 
out  the  right  courses  to  pursue  in  those  methods  of  government  that  are  akin  to  business 
("hear,  hear!"),  —  in  associating  with  us  the  business  men  in  their  commercial  bodies. 
(Applause.) 

We  know  —  that  is,  some  of  us  know  who  have  had  occasion  to  study  the  subject  —  that 
the  chambers  of  commerce  of  other  countries  have  even  an  official  or  a  semi-official  relation 
to  the  govermiient  that  gives  them  a  real  authority  and  a  real  influence  in  determining  the 
course  of  the  government  in  reference  to  matters  that  are  akin  to  business  (applause),  and 
that  while  we  all  believe  in  popular  government,  we  believe  that  some  people  know  more 
about  some  things  than  other  people  (laughter  and  applause),  and  that  the  way  to  help  all 
the  people  is  to  get  the  information  at  first  hand  from  those  who  are  best  informed  on  the 
subject.     ("Bravdj"  and  applause.) 

Now  we  cannot  expect  a  government  to  be  run  exactly  as  a  business  establishment  is 
run.  That  would  be  impossible,  and  it  might  not  be  well,  either.  But  there  are  a  great  many 
methods  that  have  been  proven  to  be  useful  and  necessary  in  business  in  accomi)lishing  good 
results  that  might  be  incorporated  into  our  governmental  methods  in  tliis  country.  (Ap- 
plause.) We  have  been  able  to  get  along  so  well  in  this  country  because  there  were  so  many 
sources  of  taxation  (great  laughter),  because  the  surpluses  were  so  frequent  that  we  have  not 
had  the  occasion  to  consult  the  question  of  income  as  much,  jierhaps,  as  some  countries  older 
and  less  fortunately  situated  with  respect  to  that  subject  matter.  But  we  are  coming  to  a 
time  when  it  seems  to  me  that  unless  we  are  to  continue  to  do  business  as  children  we  ought 
to  adopt  a  system  of  government  bookkeeping  and  have  a  budget  and  know  what  we  wish 
to  spend  and  know  what  we  have  to  spend  before  we  go  ahead  to  do  either.     (Applause.) 

Then  we  are  engaged  in  levying  a  customs  duty  and  internal  revenue.  Now  I  say  that 
we  ought  to  learn  and  know  before  we  lay  either  the  customs  duty  or  the  internal  revenue 
what  its  efTect  is  going  to  be  upon  business.  (Applause.)  We  ought  to  pursue  the  methods 
pursued  by  the  foreign  governments  whose  delegates  I  have  the  honor  to  address.  We  ought 
to  have  bureaus  of  statistics  and  accurate  infonnation  on  all  the  .subjects  that  will  enable  us 
to  judge  what  the  effect  of  laws  to  be  passed  will  be  upon  trade  and  commerce.  (Applause.) 
Then  we  have  gotten  along  thus  far,  with  the  help  of  Providence  (laughter),  with  a  sys- 
tem of  banking  and  currency  that  no  man  can  defend  (applause),  but  that  seems  the  last 
subject  that  Congress  wishes  to  take  up.  (Laughter.)  Now  that  is  a  subject  matter  that 
affects  even,'  one  and  affects  most  nearly  the  humblest  and  the  poorest  and  those  least  able  to 
protect  themselves,  and  therefore  it  ought  to  be  disposed  of  in  a  scientific  way.  The  reform 
ougiit  to  be  carried  on  to  a  successful  result  by  reference  to  bodies  —  chambers  of  commerce, 
banking  associations  and  others  —  who  are  charged  with  that  scientific  knowledge  of  the  needs 
of  trade  with  reference  to  currency  and  banking,  so  that  when  we  act  we  shall  act  intelli- 
gently and  act  with  respect  to  a  matter  of  greater  importance,  I  think,  than  possibly  any 
other  that  I  could  mention  to  this  body.     (Applause.) 

So  much,  my  friends,  —  and  there  are  lots  of  other  things  that  we  can  learn  from  the 
foreign  delegates  here  and  the  methods  pursued  in  those  govermuents  with  reference  to  the 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  293 

consultation  of  chambers  of  commerce,  but  my  time  is  limited  and  I  wish  onl}-  to  speak  of 
another  subject,  not  the  influence  upon  this  country  by  the  coming  of  these  delegates  and 
these  chambers  of  commerce,  but  the  influence  upon  the  world  of  their  coming  here  to  meet 
us  and  our  meeting  them.  You  come  here  for  trade  —  to  promote  trade  —  and  trade  is 
peace.  {"Hear,  hear!"  and  applause.)  And  if  trade  had  no  other  good  thing  connected 
with  it,  the  motive,  the  selfish  motive  in  love  of  trade  that  keeps  off  war  in  order  that 
trade  may  continue,  is  a  sufficient  thing  to  keep  up  trade  for.     {Applause.) 

I  am  not  going  to  bore  you  with  a  reference  to  what  can  be  done  toward  peace,  for  I 
have  talked  all  over  the  country  on  that  subject  till  those  of  my  audience  who  are  American 
citizens  are  tired  of  it  {"no,  no")  but  I  believe  that  we  must  have  some  .solution  of  the  prob- 
lem that  arises  ami  some  escape  in  the  future  from  the  burden  that  is  imposed  by  this  in- 
creasing armament  of  nations.  {"Hear,  hear!"  and  applause.)  And  you  will  never  have  the 
solution  until  you  have  furnished  some  means  of  certainly  and  honorably  settling  every  in- 
ternational controversy,  whether  of  honor  or  vital  interest  {"hear,  hear!"),  by  a  court  upon 
which  all  nations  may  rely.  {Great  applause.)  And  if,  as  I  believe,  meetings  like  this  stimu- 
late the  desire  and  the  determination  to  reach  some  such  result,  I  hope  they  may  continue 
year  after  year  until  the  dawn  of  permanent  peace  shall  be  with  us.  {Prolonged  and  enthusi- 
astic cheering,  culminating  in  three  cheers  and  a  "tiger.") 

President  Russell,  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  our  state  is  with  us  to-night  to  join  in  our  warm  wel- 
come to  all  our  honored  guests.  Some  of  us  thought  he  might  be  our  next  President,  but  it 
seems  not  to  be  at  once,  and  so  for  him  a  little  longer  the  pleasures  of  anticipation;  and 
what  more  delightful,  especially  to  one  whose  hand  is  already  guiding  the  plow  with  a  pretty 
substantial  field  to  keep  in  order,  bearing  some  weeds  and  an  occasional  thistle.     {Laughter.) 

I  present  to  you  His  Exceia.ency  the  Governor  of  Massachusetts.    {Applause.) 


ADDRESS   OF  HONORABLE  EUGENE  N.  FOSS 
Governor  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts 

Gentlemen,  this  Congress,  representing  the  commerce  and  the  commercial  nations  of 
the  world,  marks  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  for  America.  It  is  prophetic  of  closer  trade 
relations  between  this  country  and  the  rest  of  the  world.  It  constitutes  a  most  effective 
pledge  for  the  continuance  of  amicable  international  relations,  of  stronger  business  friend- 
ships and  more  effective  international  understandings. 

You  have  come  to  Boston  at  the  time  when  our  entire  country  is  tending  toward  a  broader 
commercial  policy,  a  policy  which  is  to  take  especial  cognizance  of  the  foreign  trade.  In 
Massachusetts,  as  in  other  sections  of  the  country,  we  have  been  passing  through  a  period 
of  rapid  organization  and  commercial  expansion.  Our  mills  and  factories  have  multiplied, 
and  their  product  has  outgrown  our  domestic  markets.  We  are  seeking  an  outlet  abroad 
for  our  surplus  products.  It  is,  therefore,  singularly  appropriate  that  at  this  juncture  the 
opportunity  should  be  given  us  of  entertaining  the  representatives  of  all  the  industrial 
world;  of  welcoming  them  to  our  industrial  centers,  acquainting  them  with  New  England 
and  American  enterprise,  and  forming  those  new  business  friendships  which  will  remain  as 
permanent  factors  in  our  further  growth. 

We  shall  not  continue  the  mistake  which  for  fifty  jears  has  marred  our  commercial 
policy.  The  trade  relations  which  bind  the  manufacturer  of  Massachusetts  to  the  mer- 
chant of  London,  Antwerp  or  Hong  Kong  must  be  placed  upon  a  basis  of  mutual  interest. 
We  are  just  beginning  to  realize  the  necessity  of  establishing  such  relations.  If  we  are  to 
continue  the  sale  of  our  goods  abroad,  we  must  in  turn  become  purchasers  from  other 
countries. 


204  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

It  IS  fortiiniitc  that  the  recognition  of  these  fundamental  principles  is  now  universal  in 
the  United  States.  This  is  no  longer  the  exclusive  political  doctrine  of  any  one  party;  it  is  a 
national  demand.  You  will  see  this  demand  expres-sed  in  its  highest  terms  in  the  Panama 
Canal;  and  you  will  find  the  same  determination  bringing  about  the  development  of  the 
Port  of  Boston,  and  of  other  great  seacoast  and  inland  harbors  on  this  continent.  You  will 
find  boards  of  public  commissioners  working  on  the  problem  of  dredging  our  principal 
rivers,  and  fixing  the  location  of  future  seaports,  not  only  at  the  mouths  of  the  rivers, 
but,  as  in  Europe,  far  inland  in  the  heart  of  great  manufacturing  centers.  We  are  becom- 
ing a  maritime  people,  equipping  ourselves  to  do  business  with  the  rest  of  the  world. 

It  is  a  further  earnest  of  this  sentiment  and  of  the  recognition  of  the  rights  of  others 
that  in  the  recent  Panama  Canal  Bill,  American  ships  engaged  in  foreign  trade  are  given  no 
Belfi.sh  advantage  over  the  ships  of  other  countries.  (Applmise.)  The  reser\ation  which 
has  been  established  in  favor  of  American-built  ships,  engaged  in  coastwise  traffic  along  our 
own  shores  is  one  which  ajipears  to  be  wholly  consistent  with  established  usages.  But  I 
hope  that  in  time  the  ab.solute  freedom  and  equality  of  the  Canal  to  all  may  become  estab- 
lished forever  a.s  the  contribution  of  the  United  States  to  the  commerce  and  progress  of  civi- 
lization.    (Applause.) 

Gentlemen,  this  Congress  comes  at  a  time  which  is  rendered  still  more  significant  of 
future  commercial  expansion  by  our  awakening  recognition  of  the  principle  of  Reciprocity. 
Our  foreign  guests  have  come  to  a  countr>'  which,  during  the  past  half  century,  has  at- 
tained a  wonderful  industrial  and  financial  growth,  by  reason  of  that  complete  reciprocity  of 
trade  which  marks  the  relations  of  each  state  with  all  the  others  in  our  Union.  Among  the 
nearly  fifty  sei)arate  governments  within  the  United  States  each  has  built  up  its  commercial 
relations  with  the  others,  without  restrictions  and  without  fear  or  favoritism.  Some  of  these 
states  exceed  in  territor>'  the  limits  of  foreign  nations,  which  have  grown  to  the  foremost 
commercial  rank.  Others  you  will  find  that  exceed  in  wealth  and  population  some  of  the 
sovereignties  of  other  lands.  These  states  have  prospered  through  reciprocity  and  mutual 
understanding,  each  profitng  by  the  industrial  benefits  it  has  conferred  upon  the  others. 

You  have  come  to  Massachusetts  at  a  time  when  we  are  at  last  realizing  that  the  same 
ties  should  bind  us  to  other  peoples  and  other  countries.  Massachusetts  realizes  her  debt 
of  gratitude  to  President  Taft  for  giving  official  expression  to  this  neglected  principle.  You 
will  find  the  people  of  New  England  joining  with  other  sections  of  the  country  in  offering 
to  Canada  a  declaration  of  closer  trade  relations;  and  I  believe  that  the  lack  of  these  rela- 
tions to-day  is  due  only  to  transient  motives  which  a  stronger  mutual  confidence  will 
quickly  overcome. 

You  will  find  the  great  industrial  centers  of  Massachusetts  and  New  England  (and  I 
behave  of  the  rest  of  the  countrj'  as  well),  open-minded  to  the  extension  of  reciprocal  trade 
treaties  to  still  other  nations,  in  fact  to  all  quarters  of  the  globe,  to  the  greatest  degree  con- 
sistent with  the  maintenance  of  American  standards  of  life  and  labor.  You  will  without 
doubt  view  with  interest  as  a  further  sign  of  the  times  the  activity  in  our  great  ship- 
buihling  centers,  and  you  will  find  that  we  are  building  right  here,  within  the  limits  of 
Greater  Boston,  ships  that  are  fitted  for  all  the  demands  of  modem  commerce. 

You  will  find  the  peoi)le  of  Boston  aroused  to  the  development  of  our  great  seaport. 
We  recognize  in  the  natural  location  of  Boston,  in  its  wonderful  harbor  and  tlie  industrial 
communities  around  it,  the  logical  marine  frontier  of  this  country  opening  toward  the  great 
markets  of  Europe.  We  are  resolved  that  Boston  shall  be  equipped  in  accordance  with  the 
exacting  demands  of  mcKlem  commerce  to  accommodate  the  merchant  fleets  of  the  world. 
We  are  looking  even  northward  to  Canada,  believing  Boston  to  be  the  natural  seaport  for 
the  manufacturing  and  agricultural  communities  of  that  country.  In  anticipation  of  closer 
commercial  relations  with  Canada  and  Europe  we  have  invited  to  Boston  one  of  the  princi- 
pal railroads  of  Canada  —  the  Grand  Trunk.  You  will  find  the  people  of  Massachusetts 
earnestly  resolved  to  effect  the  greatest  possible  development  of  marine  transportation,  not 
only  coastwise,  but  transatlantic. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  295 

We  are  at  the  dawn  of  our  owii  era  of  commercial  expansion.  With  the  extension  of  our 
foreign  trade,  and  the  development  of  our  coastwise  and  interior  waterways,  our  rivers,  canals 
and  harbors,  you  will  find  us  fitting  ourselves  for  constantly  broadening  trade  relations  with 
yourselves.  The  people  of  this  Commonwealth  would  be  proutl  at  any  time  to  welcome 
the  most  distinguished  commercial  conference  in  the  world,  but  they  are  particularly  grati- 
fied that  you  should  have  come  here  to  mark  for  American  history  the  beginning  of  our 
own  broader  industrial  and  commercial  life.   (Applause.) 

President  Russell,  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

His  Honor  the  Mayor  of  Boston  also  comes  to  give  you  greeting.  To  us  here  he  needs 
no  introduction.  To  those  from  afar  I  can  give  assurance  that  his  tireless  energy  in  all  that 
tends  to  the  development  of  our  city  is  an  inspiration  and  a  lesson.  Another  year  may  see 
him  sitting  in  the  highest  councils  of  our  land;  but  whether  in  Wa.shington  or  in  Boston, 
wherever  he  may  be,  there  we  know  stands  a  zealous  advocate  of  the  interests  of  our  state,  a 
loyal  champion  for  the  welfare  of  our  city. 

I  present  to  you  His  Honor  the  ^Iayor  of  Boston.    {Applause.) 


ADDRESS    OF  HONORABLE  JOHN  F.   FITZGERALD 
Mayor  of  the  City  of  Boston 

Gentlemen,  now  that  our  serious  labors  are  ended,  we  meet  before  parting  to  speak  the 
final  words  of  review  and  felicitation.  The  results  of  this  Congress  have,  I  am  assured,  been 
such  as  to  justify  the  sacrifices  which  it  involved,  but  above  all  its  concrete  enactments  and 
salutary  reforms  I  place  those  intangible  values  that  do  not  figure  in  the  program,  but  are 
incidental  to  our  personal  intercourse. 

The  commerce  of  ideas,  after  all,  is  more  generous,  or  at  least  more  enlightened,  than 
the  commerce  of  commodities.  By  one  of  those  paradoxes  which  are  found  in  the  spiritual 
life  each  side  wishes  the  other  to  be  the  gainer.  This  is  the  amicable  traffic  in  which  we  have 
been. engaged  during  the  last  few  days.  We  trust  that  our  guests  have  profited  by  their  visit 
to  Boston,  though  it  is  not  for  us  to  say  in  what  manner  or  to  what  degree.  Our  own  debt 
is  certainly  so  large  that  we  scarcely  venture  to  express  it  for  fear  of  seeming  to  exaggerate. 
It  is  enough  to  say,  gentlemen,  that  your  j^rcsence  has  stimulated  us  to  new  aspirations  and 
has  awakened  larger  visions  in  our  hearts  and  minds. 

Such  conventions,  I  repeat,  find  their  highest  sanction  in  the  strength  which  they  impart 
to  the  sense  of  interdependence  among  nations,  which  is,  without  doubt,  their  prime  motive 
and  original  inspiration.  They  assume  that  the  whole  world  of  production,  credit  and  ex- 
change is  in  a  state  of  equilibrium  so  that  a  disturbance  in  any  one  market  causes  oscillation 
over  the  entire  civilized  earth;  and  this  view  is  amplj*  justified  by  recent  events.  The  tremors 
of  the  San  Francisco  earthquake  were  felt  in  the  insurance  companies  of  London.  The  war  in 
Manchuria  was  reflected  in  the  violent  dance  of  prices  on  the  Paris  Bourse.  A  drought  in 
India  may  determine  the  quotations  for  wheat  in  New  York,  and  failures  in  Argentina  have 
precii)itated  a  disastrous  panic.  To  preserve  the  universal  stability  which  is  necessarj-  for 
the  conduct  of  business  is  one  chief  aim  of  your  assemblies. 

What  is  true  of  calamities  is  no  less  tnie  of  benefits.  It  is  conceivable  that  a  traveler 
journeying  from  Portugal  to  Russia  might  find  a  different  railroad  gage  at  every  frontier, 
but  such  impediments  to  the  free  movement  of  trade  would  be  a  poor  expression  of  patriotism. 
A  (lifTerence  of  an  inch  between  nation  and  nation  would  prevent  travel  at  express  speed  for 
long  distances,  thereby  causing  delay,  and  would  comj)el  the  needless  duplication  of  rolling 
stock,  thus  increasing  cost.  In  the  United  States  one  width  of  rail  prevails  across  the  conti- 
nent and  the  adoption  of  this  uniform  standard  would  be  an  advantage  everj'where.  My 
illustration  is  merely  imaginary,  but  the  principle  is  clear.    Ever>'  device  for  increasing  speed, 


29G  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

or  saving  life,  or  diminishing  the  discomforts  of  travel  becomes  internationalized  sooner  or 
later  and  ceases  to  be  the  exclusive  propertj*  of  the  nation  in  which  it  originates.  The  electric 
engine,  the  air  brake,  the  refrigerator  car  belong  to  no  p>eople,  but  diffuse  themselves  with 
other  beneficial  inventions  over  the  entire  world.  It  is  .such  a  diffusion,  not  of  mere  appli- 
ances alone,  but  of  forms  and  regulations  as  well,  that  your  Congress  aims  to  promote,  as  it 
eliminates  differences  and  compels  local  usage  to  conform  to  the  requirements  of  the  world's 
larger  interests. 

This  is,  after  all,  only  a  new  application  of  science  to  practical  affairs.  We  know  what 
science  has  accomplished  for  agriculture  in  the  study  of  the  chemistry  of  soils,  the  selection 
of  .secds,*the  relation  of  birds  to  the  control  of  pests,  and  of  bees  and  other  in.sects  to  fertili- 
zation. By  no  magic  wand,  but  through  rca.son  and  experience  guided  by  imagination,  she 
has  bidden  the  earth  to  teem  with  manifold  abundance.  In  manufacturing,  mining,  forestry, 
irrigation,  drainage  and  the  conservation  of  water  supply,  the  engineer  and  the  expert  now 
exerci.se  an  unquestioned  authority.  Similar  studies  and  the  creation  of  a  similar  body  of 
experts  will  fortify  commerce  in  the  same  degree  by  reducing  waste  and  cultivating  facility 
in  administrative  and  fiscal  methods.  Your  collective  importance  and  economic  function  are 
not  inferior  to  those  of  the  other  interests  which  I  have  mentioned. 

As  it  happens,  gentlemen,  there  is  a  certain  feUcity  in  your  visit  to  Boston  which  has  not 
been  pointed  out  by  any  other  speaker.  I  do  not  know  any  class  that  appeals  to  the  people 
of  this  city  more  than  that  which  you  represent.  The  traditions  of  our  community  uphold 
the  merchant  as  the  highest  tj-pe  of  citizen.  The  nature  of  his  occupation  forbids  seclusion 
and  aloofness,  and  brings  him  into  personal  contact  with  his  fellowmen.  Out  of  the  sense  of 
reciprocal  obligation  thus  created  flow  those  noble  benefactions  which  are  so  common  in  our 
history. 

Art,  scholarship  and  philanthropy  are  residuan,-  heirs  of  the  labors  and  accumulations 
of  the  captains  of  industry.  Franklin,  Lowell,  Perkins,  Carney,  Arnold,  McKay,  Brigham, 
Parkman,  Wentworth  —  these  men  of  the  world  cherished  to  the  end  something  unworldly 
and  saw  through  the  murk  and  confusion  of  the  daily  struggle  the  better  day  that  is  approach- 
ing. They  grasped  the  broad  conception  that  wealth  is  a  trust  of  which  all  mankind  and  not 
merely  a  narrow  circle  should  be  the  beneficiaries.  Hospitals,  schools,  museums  and  parks, 
free  to  all,  perpetuate  their  names  and  offer  to  future  generations  examples  of  a  wise  liberality. 

As  becomes  a  city  of  merchants,  the  people  of  Boston  are  not  easily  held  in  subjection. 
The  first  settlers  were  of  the  English  middle  class,  industrious,  self-sustaining  and  aggres- 
sive. From  the  beginning  they  displayed  a  free,  indomitable  spirit,  which  awakened  alarm, 
and  at  the  same  time  excited  admiration  among  the  British  statesmen.  In  the  War  of  Amer- 
ican Independence  orators  of  Boston  took  the  lead,  and  the  first  pitched  battle  —  the  Battle 
of  Bunker  Hill  —  was  fought  within  the  confines  of  the  present  city.  In  the  War  of  1812 
our  sailors  did  not  hesitate  to  challenge  the  greatest  sea  power  in  the  world. 

A  tratlition  of  sympathy  with  sufferers  and  freedom  lovers  everj'where  grew  out  of  these 
early  conflicts  and  has  continued  to  the  present  day.  Whether  the  appeal  comes  from  vic- 
tims of  natural  disasters,  such  as  earthquakes  or  floods,  or  refugees  from  political  t>Tanny, 
or  apostles  of  social  amelioration,  our  response  has  ever  been  quick  and  generous.  The 
movement  to  abolish  American  slaver>',  for  example,  may  be  said  to  have  had  its  birth  in 
Boston,  and  we  are  about  to  erect  a  monument  to  its  foremost  orator,  Wendell  Phillips,  the 
son  of  our  first  Mayor.  Fancuil  Hall,  which  some  of  you  may  have  seen,  is  affectionately 
known  all  over  this  countrj-  as  "The  Cradle  of  Liberty,"  from  the  meetings  which  have 
been  held  there  in  behalf  of  patriotic  and  humanitarian  causes. 

A  high  sense  of  civic  obligation  is  characteristic  of  the  citizens  of  Boston.  Ever>'  class 
re.sponds  with  fervor  to  the  call  of  public  duty.  During  our  Civil  War  fully  half  the  adult 
males  served  as  soldiers.  Harvard  University  alone  sent  over  fifteen  hundred  volunteers,  a 
large  percentage  of  its  graduates  and  students.  In  times  of  peace  the  city  drafts  into  its  ser- 
vice on  the  various  boards  of  government  able  men  who  labor  without  compensation  for  the 
good  of  their  fellow  citizens. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  297 

Our  appreciation  of  human  values  finds  no  more  significant  expression  than  in  the  sacri- 
fices made  for  public  education.  We  realize  that  our  chief  asset  in  New  England  is  not  the  sea 
or  the  water  power  in  our  tumbling  rivers,  and  assuredly  not  the  fertility  of  the  somewhat 
niggardly  soil,  but  our  own  manhood  anil  womanhood,  the  quality  of  which  we  strive  to  main- 
tain by  careful  training  given  to  the  minds  and  bodies  of  the  young.  Our  school  children,  an 
army  more  than  one  hundred  thovisand  strong,  are  the  objects  of  our  tenderest  solicitude, 
which  is  revealed  not  only  by  lavish  public  exiu'nditures,  but  through  the  participation  of 
all  classes  of  citizens  in  the  problems  of  juvenile  education.  Only  u  week  ago  the  Central 
Labor  Union,  a  body  rej)resenting  tlie  allied  trade  unions  of  the  city,  passed  resolutions  in 
favor  of  a  different  form  of  organization  for  the  school  committee. 

That  culture  in  the  higher  pha.ses  flourishes  among  us  needs  no  demonstration  before 
a  gathering  wliich,  itself,  represents  the  culture  as  well  as  the  commercial  enterjjrise  and  in- 
tegrity of  forty  nations.  The  chief  literary  school  of  America  had  its  seat  in  Boston  in  the 
middle  of  the  last  centurj'.  Such  names  as  Hawthorne,  Emerson,  Longfellow,  Lowell,  Whittier 
and  Holmes  suggest  to  readers  of  English  literature  a  certain  refined  beauty  and  serene  iileal- 
ism  as  well  as  moral  ardor.  We  are  proud  of  this  poetic  group;  of  our  statesmen,  jurists,  ar- 
tists and  divines;  and  of  the  universities  and  technological  institutes,  famous  far  bej'ond  the 
borders  of  this  countrj',  which  complete  the  educational  structure. 

The  government  of  Boston  ministers  to  the  wants  of  the  citizens  more  assiduously  per- 
haps than  that  of  any  other  American  municipahty.  The  benefits  of  our  libraries,  parks, 
baths,  gj-mnasiums  and  concerts  are  open  to  all.  In  the  treatment  of  tuberculosis  we  have 
pointed  the  path  in  which  others  are  following.  A  pension  system  provides  for  teacher,  la- 
borers, militarj'  veterans,  firemen  and  policemen,  who,  from  advanced  age  or  other  causes, 
are  unable  to  continue  at  work.  City  labor  is  well  paid  on  the  theory  that  the  government  as 
an  employer  should  set  a  conspicuous  example  of  humanity  and  justice.  Foreign  cities  which 
pride  themselves  on  their  spirit  of  progress  find  that  Boston  has  anticipated  them  in  many  of 
their  beneficent  undertakings. 

Such  are  the  fruits  of  civic  policy  in  an  industrial  democracy  led  by  captains  promoted 
from  its  own  ranks.  In  reviewing  thus  briefly  some  of  its  aspects  I  do  not  feel  that  I  am  di- 
gressing. I  merely  expand  my  agreeable  theme  of  community  and  resemblance  between 
visitors  and  ourselves.  You,  too,  gentlemen,  are  in  the  main  residents  of  cities,  striving,  as  we 
are,  to  make  these  centers  of  productions,  which  are  more  and  more  gathering  the  popula- 
tion within  their  precincts,  worthy  places  of  habitation,  for  the  generations  which  are  to 
follow  us. 

Let  us,  then,  forget  all  differences  to-night,  if  any  differences  exist  beyond  the  super- 
ficial distinctions  of  language  and  custom,  and  pay  tribute  to  the  spirit  of  human  brotherhood. 
There  are  many  islands  but  only  one  ocean,  and  that  is  the  heritage  of  all  the  sons  of  Adam. 
This  common  posse.ssion,  this  liquid  emerald  without  price,  unites  us  all  —  north,  south,  east 
and  west  —  in  ever  increasing  facility  of  intercourse  and  ever  strengthening  bonds  of  friend- 
ship. Grant  that  variety  has  its  value  and  individuality  must  be  preserved  at  any  cost,  yet 
the  blood  in  our  veins  is  of  one  color  and  the  world  will  be  better  when  all  men  can  meet,  as 
we  have  met  this  week,  in  the  spirit  of  full-souled  unity  and  mutual  concession.  Such  gather- 
ings forecast  the  golden  age  when  peace  and  law  shall  reign  over  a  world  too  long  tonnented 
by  unprofitable  di.s.sensions.  This,  gentlemen,  is  the  fairest  fruit  of  your  Congress,  which  has 
brought  honor  to  our  city,  our  state  and  our  country'.   (Applause.) 


President  Russell.  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

It  is  now  my  pleasant  privilege  to  present  to  you  one  who,  probably  more  than  any  other, 
is  responsible  for  the  inception  of  the  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce,  and 
who  through  his  earnest  zeal  and  great  ability  has  done  much  to  bring  to  it  the  commanding 
position  of  influence  which  it  to-day  holds.    He  was  its  first  President,  and  is  now  its  Presi- 


298  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

dent.    The  highest  honor  within  the  gift  of  the  commercial  bodies  of  the  world  has  been  ten- 
dered to  him  year  after  year.    Well  known  by  his  work  in  all  civilized  countries,  his  influence 
has  permeated  to  the  furthermost  comers  of  the  earth. 
I  present  to  you  Mr.  Louis  Canon-Legrand. 


ADDRESS   OF   MONSIEUR   LOUIS   CANON-LEGRAND 

President  of  the  Fifth  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce;  President 
of  the  Permanent  Committee  of  the  International  Congress 

Mon.<»ieur  le  President  de  la  Chambre  de  commerce  de  Boston, 
Monsieur  le  Pn'-sident  des  fitats-Unis: 

C'est  un  grand  honncur  pour  moi,  au  nom  de  tous  les  d(516gu6s  <5trangers,  de  prendre  la 
parole  dans  une  assembl6c  aussi  importante  que  celle-ci,  i\  la  fin  des  travaux  du  Cinquidme 
Congr^s  International  des  Chambres  de  Commerce  et  des  Associations  Comraerciales  et  Indus- 
trielles  du  monde  entier 

Comme  orateurs  devant  repondre  ;i  vos  aimables  discours,  trois  d'entre  nous  ont  6t6  d6- 
signds,  et,  dans  I'ordre  des  congres  tenus  pr<5c<^demment ,  il  se  fait  qu'en  parlont  fran^ais,  je 
repr(5sente  la  region  moyenne  de  I'Europe;  que  M.  Salmoiraghi,  parlant  en  italien,  personni- 
fiera  le  midi,  et  que  M.  FaithfuU  Begg,  en  anglais,  parlera  pour  les  pays  du  nord.  II  va  sans 
dire  que  si  Ton  n'avait  dd  se  bomer,  c'est  dans  toutes  les  autres  langues  de  la  terre  qu'il  se 
serait  <^lev^'  un  concert  d'61oges  et  de  remerciement. 

Notre  oeuvre  des  congrds  a  toujours  6t.6  accueillie  avec  faveur  par  les  gouvemements, 
les  ministres,  les  princes  et  les  monarques  d'Europe,  mais  cette  fois  la  reception  dont  nous 
eommes  gratifi<^s  est  k  la  taille  de  ceux  qui  nous  resolvent:  c'est  une  grandiose  reception  am6- 
ricaine. 

Aux  autoritds  de  ce  beau  pays  de  Massachusetts  et  de  Boston,  a  bien  voulu  se  joindre  le 
premier  citoyen  des  fitats-Unis,  M.  le  President  Taft.  Je  tiens,  au  nom  de  toutes  les  nations 
du  monde  ici  pr6sentes,  h  lui  adresser,  avec  notre  salut  respectueux,  I'expression  de  notre  vive 
et  bien  sincere  gratitude. 

{Translation) 

Mr.  President  of  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
Mr.  President  of  the  United  States: 

It  is  a  great  honor  for  me,  on  behalf  of  all  the  foreign  delegates,  to  raise  my  voice 
in  an  assembly  as  important  as  the  present  one,  at  the  close  of  the  work  of  the  Fifth  In- 
ternational Congress  of  the  Chambers  of  Commerce  and  of  the  Commercial  and  Industrial 
Associations  of  the  entire  world. 

Three  among  our  number  have  been  selected  as  speakers  to  respond  to  your  kind  re- 
marks and,  following  the  order  in  the  Congresses  previously  held,  it  appears  that,  in 
addressing  you  in  French,  I  represent  the  central  part  of  Euroi^e;  that  Mr.  Salmoiraghi, 
speaking  in  Italian,  will  represent  the  South,  and  Mr.  Faithful!  Begg,  in  English,  will 
speak  for  the  countries  of  the  North.  It  goes  without  saying  that  if  we  were  not 
limited,  a  concert  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  would  have  been  raised  in  all  the  lan- 
guages of  the  earth. 

The  work  of  our  congresses  has  always  been  greeted  with  favor  by  the  govern- 
ments, ministers,  princes  and  monarchs  of  Europe,  but  this  time  the  reception  with 
which  we  are  honored  equals  the  greatness  of  those  who  received  us;  it  is  a  magnificent 
yVmerican  reception. 

The  first  citizen  of  the  United  States,  Mr.  Taft,  the  President,  has  graciously  united 
with  the  dignitaries  of  this  beautiful  land  of  Ma.-^sachusetts  and  of  Boston.  On  behalf 
of  all  the  nations  of  the  world  here  present  I  wish  to  present  to  him,  together  with  our 
respectful  greetings,  the  assurance  of  our  heartfelt  and  most  sincere  gratitude. 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  299 

{Continuing  in  English) 

The  work  of  our  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  is  one  of  peace  and 
concord.  It  brings  into  contact  men  of  the  same  mentality  and  of  equal  abilities,  who  are  not 
slow  to  agree  on  all  practical  questions  that  can  be  realized.  It  is  also  in  our  assemblies  that 
propositions  of  hunianitarianism  and  arbitration  are  seen  to  arise;  it  is  in  the  contact  of  mer- 
chants and  men  of  industr>'  that  one  becomes  the  more  easily  convinced  of  the  absurdity  of 
wars,  and  the  necessity  of  amiable  settlement  in  business  conflicts,  thus  avoiding  the  delaj' 
and  the  costs  of  old  legal  formalities.  I  am  happy  to  state  here,  before  you  all,  that  we  have 
no  purer  objectives  in  our  labors,  and  that  in  the  future  sittings  of  our  congresses  we  will 
endeavor  to  aim  at  the  realization  of  those  wishes. 

(Continuing  in  French) 

Vous  dirai-je,  messieurs,  Timpre-ssion  profonde  que  les  gens  du  vieux  monde,  au  nom 
desquels  je  parle  plus  sp(5cialement,  eprouvent  en  debarquant  aux  Etats-Unis?  L'ampleur 
et  la  grandeur  de  tout  ce  qui  frappe  les  yeux  n'ont  d'(5gales  que  I'activite  et  I'^nergie  des 
hommes  qui  ont  cr66  ces  merveilles. 

Quand,  aprds  New-York,  carrefour  de  I'Univers,  avec  ses  gigantesque  constructions  et 
sa  dt5vorante  allure  de  cite  commergante  et  grouillante  de  vie,  on  arrive  h  Boston,  on  c^prouve 
en  outre  un  intense  sentiment  de  repo.sant  bi«i-etre  intellcctuel,  car  cette  ville  de  Boston,  A 
part  ses  industries  et  son  port,  possede  des  <5tablissements  d'instruction  de  premier  ordre; 
c'est  la  perle  des  £tats-Unis;  et  ce  fut  pour  nous  tous  une  satisfaction  raffinee  d'y  avoir  le 
ei^ge  de  notre  cinqui^me  congres  des  Chambres  de  commerce. 

C'est  k  la  sante  de  cette  admirable  ville  que  je  vais  vous  convier  ii  vider  vos  verres;  mais 
je  veux  y  joindre,  et  je  le  ferai  dans  votre  belle  langue,  la  sant«5  de  la  puissante  Chambre  de 
commerce  de  Boston,  de  ses  5000  membres  et  de  son  distingu6  President,  M.  Russell: 

(Translation) 

Shall  I  describe  to  you,  gentlemen,  the  profound  impression  that  the  people  of  the 
old  world,  on  behalf  of  whom  I  am  especially  speaking,  feel  when  landing  in  the  United 
States?  The  amplitude  and  grandeur  of  all  that  strikes  the  eye  are  only  equalled  by  the 
activity  and  energy  of  the  men  who  have  created  these  wonderful  things. 

When,  after  New  York,  the  cross-roads  of  the  Universe,  with  its  gigantic  structures 
and  that  fascinating  allurement  which  is  characteristic  of  a  commercial  city  stirring  with 
life,  Boston  is  reached,  one  experiences  an  intense  feeling  of  quieting,  intellectual  com- 
fort, for  this  City  of  Boston,  aside  from  its  industries,  its  water  front  and  harbor,  possesses 
educational  institutions  of  the  first  order.  It  is  the  pearl  of  the  United  States;  and  it  was 
to  us  a  keen  sati.<:faction  to  hold  there  our  Fifth  Congress  of  the  Chambers  of  Commerce. 

To  the  prosperity  of  this  admirable  city  I  invite  you  to  empty  your  glasses;  but  I  wish 
to  join  therewith  —  and  I  shall  do  it  in  your  beautiful  language  —  the  prosperity  of 
the  mighty  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Boston,  of  its  5000  members,  and  of  its  distin- 
guished President,  Mr.  Russell. 

{Continuing  in  English) 

This  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Boston  spends  more  than  $150,000  a  year  not  only  on 
commerce  and  trade,  but  on  such  things  as  education,  the  prevention  of  disea.se  and  acci- 
dent, city  planning  and  many  social  things  that  are  inseparably  connected  with  business  in 
the  city,  state  or  nation. 

We  have  been  welcomed  with  such  a  courtesy,  such  a  kindness,  even  in  the  slightest 
details  our  hosts  have  striven  to  render  our  stay  .so  agreeable,  that  I  find  no  words  to  thank 
appropriately  the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  its  President  and  all  its  members. 

The  lovely  ladies  who  have  .so  kindly  attended  to  the  feminine  portion  of  the  congress- 
ists,  are  entitled  to  a  specially  gracious  mention  of  gratitude  which  I  am  delighted  to  address 
to  them. 


300  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS    OF 

Of  the  few  days  we  have  spent  together,  a  profound  souvenir  will  linger  in  our  hearts. 
Our  discussions  among  ourselves  will  bear  fruit,  we  shall  earn,-  with  us  the  memory  of  your 
methotls  and  ways  of  doing,  and  the  result  will  be  beneficial  and  will  make  for  progress. 

Peace,  honor  and  good  will  amongst  men  is  the  motto  to  remember. 

I  proi>o.'se  the  health  of  the  City  of  Boston,  coupled  with  that  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  of  Prc.-itlont  Rus.sell.    (Applause.) 

President  Russell,  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

.\niong  our  many  distinguished  guests  is  one  from  Italy,  a  Senator  of  that  kingdom, 
Pre.>;i<lent  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  his  own  city  of  Milan,  and  a  former  President  of 
the  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce;  an  eminent  statesman,  a  noted  engi- 
neer, a  man  of  large  affairs  and  much  public  service,  he  wears  the  coveted  decorations  of  his 
own  and  other  countries. 

I  am  happy  to  present  to  you  the  Honorable  Angelo  Salmoiraghi.    (Applause.) 


ADDRESS    OF   SENATOR  ANGELO    SALMOIRAGHI 

President  of  the   Milan   Chamber  of    Commerce   Representing   the   Hosts   of   the  Milan 

Congress 

Mr.  President,  Gentlemen,  I  am  both  honored  and  glad  to  speak  upon  this  solemn  occa- 
sion when  the  most  important  commercial  representatives  of  all  nations  are  gathered  here  in 
such  a  great  number  in  the  name  of  human  solidarity,  in  the  name  of  the  progress  of  the  com- 
mercial world  and  of  its  civilization. 

I  am  honored  and  glad,  and  also  proud,  to  represent  here  the  government  of  my  beloved 
country  and  particularly  His  Excellency  the  Minister  of  Commerce,  Honorable  Nitti.  He, 
like  myself,  feels  that  it  is  true  and  sincere  patriotism  to  give  to  Italy  the  opportunity  to  join 
all  her  sister  nations  and  have  with  them  the  friendliest  relations. 

In  the  name  of  the  Government  of  His  Majestj-  the  King  of  Italy,  in  the  name  of  the  del- 
egates of  the  Commercial  Associations  of  Italy,  I  salute  and  pay  respectfully  homage,  first 
to  the  great  Republic  of  the  L^nited  States  of  America  and  to  its  President,  Mr.  Taft;  to  the 
State  of  Massachusetts;  to  the  Authorities  of  this  City,  the  Athens  of  America,  which  wel- 
comes us  with  such  a  splendid  court e.'^y;  to  the  diligent  Organizing  Committee  of  the  Congress 
which  is  going  to  make  us  spend  an  unforgetable  period  in  our  lives.  I  salut-e  and  thank  everj' 
one  of  them  and  most  particularly  the  Prei^ident,  Mr.  Smith,  and  Vice-President,  Mr.  Filene. 
In  the  name  of  our  ladies  I  thank  the  "Ladies'  Committee"  for  the  splendid  reception  that 
they  have  had  here. 

I  drink  to  the  ever  increasing  prosperitj-  of  this  great  nation,  —  a  nation  of  the  boldest 
initiative,  of  the  highest  and  noblest  conceptions,  to  which  she  knows  how  to  dedicate  the  best 
part  of  her  marvelous  strength.     (Applause.) 

President  Russell,  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce 

And  last  but  not  least  in  our  list  for  this  evening  is  a  noted  citizen  of  Great  Britain.  Of 
old  Scotch  Calvinistic  stock,  he,  like  so  many  of  his  countrymen,  early  in  life  left  home  and  be- 
gan his  very  succe.><sful  career  in  the  then  far-<listant  New  Zealand.  Coming  home  he  engaged 
in  banking  and  other  business,  entered  Parliament,  and  became  identified  with  the  leading 
measures  and  develojimonts  of  our  time.  Always  progressive,  ever  active,  he  has  made  for 
himself  an  honored  name;  a  world  traveler,  a  keen  observer,  deei)ly  interested  in  commercial 
affairs  and  commercial  bodies,  his  assistance  and  advice  are  eagerly  sought  and  always  freely 
given. 

I  present  to  you  Mr.  F.  Faithfull  Begg.    (Applause.) 


CHAMBERS    OF    COMMERCE  301 


ADDRESS  OF   MR.    F.   FAITHFULL   BEGG 

Chairman  of  the  Council  of  the  London  Chamber  of  Commerce  Representing  the  Hosts  of 

the  London  Congress 

Mr.  President,  Mr.  Governor,  Mr.  Mayor,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

I  have  selected  the  English  languiige  as  the  medium  of  my  speech  but  I  wish  it  to  bo  under- 
stood that  when  I  have  finished  I  shall  be  glad  to  repeat  my  romark.s  in  all  the  other  languages 
spoken  at  the  Congress,  if  you  desire  to  listen  to  me.     {Laughter.) 

My  first  word  must  be  an  expression  of  regret  that  my  old  friend,  Mr.  Charles  Charleton, 
owing  to  illness,  is  not  present  to  discharge  the  duty  which  thus  falls,  however  unworthily, 
upon  me.  We,  in  the  London  Chamber  of  Commerce,  had  the  great  privilege  in  1910  of  wel- 
coming the  Fourth  International  Congress,  and  many  of  those  present  know  well  how  ably  Mr. 
Charleton  discharged  the  duties  which  fell  to  his  lot  on  that  occasion. 

The  present  Congress  far  exceeds  in  importance  any  Congress  which  has  preceded  it, 
and  we  owe  it  to  the  energj-  of  our  kind  hosts  in  Boston  that  it  has  proved  a  magnificent 
success.  It  is  true  that  you  have  not  been  able  to  give  universal  satisfaction.  There  are,  for 
example,  I  understand,  delegates  who  are  indignant  because  their  bathrooms  are  several 
inches  shorter  than  they  had  been  led  to  expect  before  undertaking  to  cro.s.s  the  Atlantic. 
{Laughter.) 

Nevertheless  we  are  experiencing  a  reception  in  Boston  as  hearty  and  as  sincere  as  any 
that  has  hitherto  been  extended  to  previous  Congresses  by  the  cro\vned  heads  and  poten- 
tates by  which  they  have  been  welcomed. 

We  were  led  to  expect  much,  but  I  think  I  cannot  better  express  our  feelings  with  regard 
to  our  reception  than  in  the  words  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  when  she  made  her  historic  visit 
to  King  Solomon,  "Behold  the  half  has  not  been  told  us."     (Applause.) 

We  find  ourselves  greeted  here  in  this  historic  city  not  only  by  the  merchants  of  the  city 
itself,  but  we  are  honored  by  the  presence  of  the  head  of  the  Government  of  the  Unitcil  States, 
b}'  the  Governor  of  the  state  of  Ma.s.sachusetts  and  by  the  Mayor  of  the  city.  And  if  we  have 
not  been  greeted  by  crowds  in  the  streets  as  great  as  those  which  have  welcomed  the  return 
of  the  Red  Sox,  the  photographers  at  least  have  done  their  best  to  make  our  visit  comfort- 
able.    (Laughter.) 

You  have  even  gone  so  far  as  to  arrange  for  a  contested  election  to  take  place  during  the 
period  of  our  visit  especially,  so  I  understand  the  Mayor  to  say  in  his  address  of  welcome, 
especially  in  order  that  we  might  have  an  opportunity  of  e.xamining  the  working  of  American 
institutions  at  the  polling  booths.     (Laughter.) 

This  reception,  in  spite  of  the  shortcomings  to  which  I  have  referred,  cannot  but  have  a 
powerful  effect  in  building  up  the  vitality  of  our  organization  and  rendering  it  more  effective 
for  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  designed. 

The  rapid  development  in  the  imp>ortance  of  these  Congresses  has  more  than  justified 
the  faith  of  those  who  a  few  years  ago  formulated  the  idea  upon  which  they  are  foimded. 
The  root,  or  fundamoTital  idea,  was  to  form  a  federation  of  conmiercial  men  throughout  the 
countries  of  the  world,  having  for  its  object  to  induce  or  even  compel  governments  to  de- 
vote their  attention  les.s  to  the  arts  of  war  and  more  to  the  arts  of  peace.  In  this  ambition 
the  organization  ha.s  met  with  a  considerable  mca.sure  of  succe.s.s,  but  much  remains  to  be 
done.  Governments  have  not  yet  accepted  the  thcor>'  that  embji^sies  ami  chancelleries 
should  concern  themselves  less  than  they  have  done  with  the  organization  of  national  re- 
sources for  the  purposes  of  destruction,  and  that  commerce  is  not  carried  on  merely  to  pro- 
vide a  treasure  fund  destined  chiefly  to  provide  means  for  the  carrj'ing  on  of  war.  We 
desire  that  governments  should  regard  commerce  as  an  end  and  not  merelj-  as  a  means. 

To  our  hosts  on  this  occa.sion  may  I  say  that  whilst  here  on  this  vast  continent  you  have 
had,  more  or  less  in  the  past,  little  to  concern  yourselves  with  except  the  development  of  your 
wonderful  resources,  even  you  are  not  now  free  from  the  compUcations  of  a  foreign  policy  or 


302  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS 

from  questions  of  difficulty  which  tend  to  increase  in  number  and  must  so  increase  as  time 
goes  on. 

You  are  meeting  these  questions  with  characteristic  skill.  To  this  end  you  have  even 
been  able  to  add  wcajxins  to  the  already  well-stocked  armor)'  of  diplomatists.  There  i.s,  for 
example,  that  famous  doctrine  specially  applicable  to  this  continent,  which,  from  the  name 
of  it.-i  author,  I  take  to  have  been  evolved  by  a  countrjTnan  of  my  own  possessing  that  special 
talent  for  metaphysics  that  characterizes  the  Scottish  race.    (Laughter.) 

But  if  you  will  turn  your  eyes  from  this  hemisphere  to  the  Continent  of  Europe  what  will 
you  find?  You  will  find  the  nations  massed  in  armed  camps,  ever}'  ner\e  being  strained  for 
the  increase  of  arniainrnts  on  land  and  ruinous  expenditure  being  incurred  on  an  ever  in- 
creasing scale  in  preparation  for  warfare  at  sea.  We  read  in  the  pages  of  hist  on.-  of  great 
world-movements  by  which  the  nations  of  antiquity  were  shaken  to  their  foundation  and 
in  many  ca.ses  perished  utterly  by  the  operations  of  war.  Nothing  remains  of  many  of  these 
nations  but  moldering  relics  of  departed  greatness,  vast  mounds  of  crumbling  dust  marking 
where  great  cities  once  stood,  now  surrounded  by  desolation. 

Are  we  sure  that  we  have  not  questions  to  solve  in  the  future,  and  it  may  be  in  the  im- 
mediate future,  of  magnitude  as  great,  or  even  greater,  than  those  which  convulsed  the  em- 
pires of  the  past?  We  are  men  of  business  whose  interests  lie  in  the  solution  of  such  questions 
without  resort  to  war.  Should  we  not  see  to  it  that  our  influence  should  ever  be  brought  to 
bear  upon  governments  of  whatever  description  to  secure  by  every  means  in  our  power  a 
Iieaceful  solution  in  ever)'  ca.se,  and  may  we  not  hope  that  our  influence  properly  exerted 
may  be  sufficient  to  secure  tliat  end?    (Applause.) 

In  conclusion,  I  trust  that  I  shall  not  be  regarded  as  greatly  daring  if  I  refer  to  a  question 
which  is  much  in  the  minds  of  commercial  men  at  the  present  time.  The  great  nation  whose 
guests  we  are  is  engaged  at  the  present  moment  in  the  completion  of  a  work  of  une.xampled 
magnitude  and  destined  to  revolutionize  the  trade  routes  of  the  world.  The  necessity  for 
that  great  work  has  long  been  evident,  but  it  has  been  left  to  the  United  States  of  America 
to  undertake  its  completion.  We  must  all  accord  the  highest  honor  to  this  country  for  the 
magnificent  si)irit  in  which  the  task  has  been  undertaken  anil  the  scientific  skill  which  has 
been  displayed  in  carr)'ing  it  out. 

Inciilentally  there  has  arisen  in  connection  with  this  matter  a  question  of  high  politics 
in  regard  to  which  the  country  to  which  I  have  the  honor  to  belong,  and  the  great  Republic 
whose  guests  we  are,  do  not  at  the  moment  see  eye  to  eye.  Far  be  it  from  me  to  say  a 
single  word  on  this  occasion  on  the  merits  of  that  difference  of  opinion,  but  I  do  desire  to 
say  this  (and  I  speak  with  full  concurrence  of  all  my  associates  from  London  here  present), 
that  I  have  confidence  that  the  great  common-sense  and  well-known  capacity  for  adjusting 
difficult  problems  which  characterizes  both  nations  will  find  a  solution  by  peaceful  means 
which  will  be  honorable  to  both  parties  concerned.     (Ap])l(iuse.) 

We  are  now  ai)proaching  the  date  when  one  hundred  years  of  unbroken  peace  will  have 
existed  between  the  two  countries.  Our  past  struggles  are  long  ago  forgiven  and  forgotten. 
W'c  no  longer  remember  the  Boston  Tea  Party  with  resentment  and  Bunker  Hill  has  become 
a  historic  memory. 

That  these  harmonious  relations  will  continue  I  confidently  believe  and  it  is  my  earnest 
prayer  and  hope  that  nothing  may  ever  occur  to  disturb  them.    (Applause.) 

Adjourned. 


iaules( 


The  rules  governing  the  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  are  as  follows: 

1.  The  International  Congress  of  Chambers  of  Commerce  and  Commercial  and  Indus- 
trial Associations  shall  meet  at  intervals  which,  generally  speaking,  shall  not  exceed  two 
years. 

2.  The  following  shall  be  admitted  to  the  Congress  —  Delegates  of  any  corporation 
legally  representing  commercial  and  industrial  interests,  and  of  voluntarj'  industrial  and 
commercial  associations;  also,  delegates  of  federations  of  such  corporations  and  commercial 
and  industrial  unions. 

Individuals  not  being  nominated  delegates,  but  who  are  members  of  any  such  corpora- 
tion or  union,  shall  also  be  admitted. 

3.  The  subscription  shall  be  20  francs  for  individuals,  and  50  francs  for  corporations  or 
unions.  The  latter  shall,  on  payment  of  the  50  francs,  be  entitled  to  nominate  three  dele- 
gates; for  each  additional  delegate  20  francs  shall  be  payable. 

4.  The  Congress  itself  shall  decide  questions  of  internal  organization.  The  Congress 
may,  besides,  vote  on  any  question  which  it  discusses,  if  the  majority  so  desire. 

Participants  admitted  in  accordance  with  Rule  2  (Paragraph  2)  shall  not  be  entitled  to 
vote;  those  nominated  in  accordance  with  Rule  2  (Paragraph  1)  shall  each  have  a  vote.  The 
decision  shall  be  made  by  a  majority  vote.  At  the  request  of  not  less  than  ten  members, 
who  must  in  addition  represent  three  different  countries,  the  vote  shall  be  taken  by 
countries;  such  request  must  be  made  before  the  commencement  of  the  voting.  Should  a 
vote  be  taken  by  countries,  the  decision  shall  be  arrived  at  by  a  majority  of  voters  present, 
in  addition  to  the  majority  by  countries,  and  other^visc  the  vote  shall  be  declared  void;  a 
detail  of  the  vote  record  by  each  country-  shall  be  included  in  the  Minutes. 

5.  The  Congress  itself  shall  elect  its  executive  oflBcers  for  the  duration  of  its  meetings. 

6.  A  Permanent  Committee  shall  be  formed  for  the  purpose  of  making  arrangements 
for  the  meetings  and  carrying  out  the  decisions  of  the  Congress. 

Each  countrj-  shall  be  represented  on  this  Committee  by  at  most  three  delegates.  To 
this  effect,  three  regular  members  and  three  alternates  (suppUants)  shall  be  nominated  by 
each  countr>-. 

7.  The  regular  members  and  alternates  shall  be  nominated  by  the  delegates  to  the  Con- 
gress of  the  different  countries;  delegates  of  countries  having  a  national  federation  of  Chambers 
of  Commerce  or  of  industrial  and  commercial  as.sociations  may  abandon  the  right  of  nomi- 
nating representatives  on  the  Permanent  Committee  in  favor  of  such  federation;  members 
of  the  Permanent  Committee  shall  exercise  the  authority  thus  conferred  upon  them  until  the 
succeeding  Congress. 

303 


304  INTERNATIONAL    CONGRESS 

8.  Ever>'  member  of  the  Permanent  Committee,  unless  absent,  shall  have  a  vote,  and 
fjuestion-s  shall  be  tlecitled  by  a  majority  of  votes,  provided  that  half  of  the  countries  are 
n-presento*!  at  the  sitting. 

9.  The  IVnnanent  Committee  shall  elect  from  amongst  its  own  members  a  President 
and  Vice-President  and,  in  addition,  an  administrator,  who  may  be  the  General  Secretarj*, 
but  need  not  be  a  member  of  the  Committee.  Such  appointments  shall  remain  in  force  dur- 
ing the  intcr^•al  separating  two  Congresses. 

The  Permanent  Committee  shall  decide  upon  the  place  at  which  the  next  Congress  shall 
be  held  in  the  event  of  the  previous  Congress  not  having  done  so. 

Pending  any  further  decision  on  the  matter,  the  headquarters  of  the  Permanent  Committee 
shall  be  in  Hru.«.scls. 

10.  The  Permanent  Committee  shall  be  convened  by  the  President.  The  latter  must 
call  the  Committee  together  if  so  requested  by  at  least  a  fourth  of  its  members. 

11.  The  expenses  shall  be  defrayed  by  means  of  the  subscriptions  referred  to  in  Rule  3, 
and  by  contributions  which  may  eventually  be  made  by  States,  corporations,  unions  or  in- 
dividuals. 


I 


TH  INTERNATIONAL  CONGRESS  OF   CHAMBERS   OF  COMMERCE  AND   COMMEF 

BOSTON,   U.S.A.,   SEPTEVIBER,    1Q12 


CIAL  AND   INDUSTRIAL  ASSOCIATIONS 


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